Launder, real name John Cudlip, has signed to Ghostly with his new single, Half-Life.
Cudlip, now based in Los Angeles, California, came of age cueing dream-pop records to the beachside backdrop of his hometown in Orange County. As Launder, his recording project developed in 2018 out of casual sessions with friends Jackson Phillips from Day Wave, Soko, and Zachary Cole Smith from DIIV, he’s put out 12″s on Day Wave and House Arrest Distribution.
Half Life, Cudlip’s Ghostly debut, marks the beginning of new Launder material arriving this year. The track passes steady acoustic strums, tight drums, and self-harmonies through the disorienting undertow of a conflict “between dependence on someone/something toxic and trying to get away from that,” says Cudlip.
Tracklisting
01. Half-Life
Half-Life is available now on all streaming platforms.
Titled Infinity Of Now, the eight-track album launched earlier this month across CD, vinyl, and digital formats as the psychedelic-funk ensemble’s first full-length of new material in three years.
Madlib Invazion explains that across eight tracks, the group draws equally from the funk universe of James Brown, the disorienting asymmetry of Sun Ra, the cinematic scope of Ennio Morricone, the sublime fusion of David Axelrod, Pierre Henry’s turned-on musique concrète, and Can’s beat-heavy Krautrock.
After working with The Heliocentrics on 2017’s A World of Masks, Slovakian vocalist Barbora Patkova returns for Infinity Of Now. Drummer Malcolm Catto and bassist Jake Ferguson deliver the album’s musical framework, and they’re joined by Collin Webster (alto sax), Jason Yarde (baritone sax), Dan Smith (guitar/electronics), Sylvia Hallett (hurdy gurdy/sarangi), Jack Yglesias (keys/percussion/banjo), and Raven Bush (strings/electronics). They recorded the album at Malcolm Catto’s Quatermass Sound Lab.
Outside of their recorded output with Barbora Patkova, The Heliocentrics have collaborated with a myriad of vocalists over the years, including Mulatu Astatke, Melvin van Peebles, Lloyd Miller, and Orlando Julius. In 2015, they expanded into the world of film with a score for British documentary “The Sunshine Makers,” later released with Soundway Records as an original soundtrack.
Tracklisting
01. 99% Revolution 02. Venom 03. Elephant Walk 04. Burning Wooden Ship 05. Hanging By A Thread 06. Nonsense Part 1 07. Light In The Dark 08. People Wake Up!
Infinity Of Now LP is available now, with a stream of “Burning Wooden Ship” below.
Dial Records is preparing to celebrate its 20th birthday.
The work of David Lieske (a.k.a Carsten Jost) and Peter Kersten (a.k.a Lawrence), who founded it in Hamburg, Germany around the turn of the millennium, Dial is recognised as one of electronic music’s most singular record labels, championed for its enduring commitment to quality. Although the music spans much wider than house and techno, there’s something beautifully delicate about it all to tie it together.
The label began as little more than an experimental platform for a musical dialog among close friends, and “never would we have then thought it would last that long,” Lieske and Kersten explain.
Adding to this, the label owners add: “Dial started to free our sketches of electronic and analog music for clubs and living-room necessities from clumsy machines and computers into a format that made a great gift and could carry, besides the music, a visual language created by artists whose ideas we wanted to spread among the communities we felt were ready for their much-needed contributions.”
To mark the milestone, the pair will “take it to the streets again,” celebrating the history and future of Dial as the experiment that it still is and the community they’ve built around it. First up is a world tour with their most favorite DJs and live acts, with dates coming soon, and they’ll also be curating club nights and events to represent the range of Dial’s musical and visual repertoire.
They’re also working on a various artist compilation to document Dial’s musical journey through the years, while sketching out its path into a possible future. There will also be debut albums from Soela, which we announced recently, and XDB, plus new material from Roman Flügel and Carsten Jost, all as part of the jubilee festivities.
Finally, we can expect a book documenting the visual endeavours of Dial, a fundamental part of the label’s history, released towards the fall of 2020.
Kamaal Williams has shared a new live album, recorded at Dekmantel Festival in Amsterdam last summer and available now on streaming platforms or for download at Bandcamp.
Live At Dekmantel LP is a largely improvised one-hour set comprised of nine tracks as the afternoon sun shone on the main stage. We can expect dramatic sonics—high octane funk that fuses the spiritual with the dancefloor—complete with the atmosphere, markings, and space that only live performance supplies. On stage with Williams are Marquinn Mason (ATL) on tenor sax, Gregory Webster Jr. (NY) on drums, and Rick Leon James (Trinidad) on bass.
The new record also comes with a music video for “3 Yourself,” which features archival footage of the 2019 Hong Kong protests.
Tracklisting:
01. Dekmantel: The Intro 02. House Music 03. 3 Yourself 04. GP Drums 05. South LDN 06. Snitches Brew (Live @ Dekmantel) 07. Quinn’s Story 08. Salaam (Live @ Dekmantel) 09. Strings ATL
Live At Dekmantel LP is available now, with “3 Yourself” streaming in full below.
Troxler, the youngest of the Visionquest crew, left in the early months of 2014 as one of the most in-demand DJs in electronic music. His departure, a mutual decision to protect the long-standing friendships that had underpinned the collective from their early years in Detroit, triggered the end for Visionquest as we knew it; then one of the most celebrated collectives in electronic music, Crosson, Curtiss, and Reeves stripped back operations and focused their energies on the label. By 2015, they had stopped touring together, drawing a curtain on the all-night-long multi-deck DJ performances that had resonated so deeply in an electronic music landscape dominated by functional house and techno.
A lot had happened in the years since. Crosson and Curtiss have both married, the latter has even become a father, and Reeves has returned to Berlin after a short period in Ibiza. Troxler, meanwhile, has enjoyed a life in the spotlight but is now ready to join the others in committing his time to the Visionquest project, frustrated at an increasingly business-orientated music scene. “Back then, I was trying to be something, but now I just want to be a good DJ and to create a good legacy, and to enjoy myself with my friends,” he explains. “I just miss the old gang.”
So, beginning this summer, and to celebrate the label’s 10-year anniversary, Troxler, Crosson, Curtiss, and Reeves will reunite to embark on Visionquest’s second chapter, aiming to continue where they left it. Proceedings will begin with a series of 10-Year parties, with dates to be announced, after which they’ll ramp up operations with Visionquest sets and the label. Troxler, now based in Ibiza, will shut down his other labels to focus on Visionquest, and he’ll join the others in committing time to tour as a four. After six years, the band is back together.
To mark the occasion, we’ve prepared a special Visionquest edition of XLR8R+, featuring a long-form feature discussing the reunion, including interviews with all four members. Each member has also provided an exclusive track, available for download. As a long-standing fan of Zip and the Perlon label, Reeves presents the trippiest of the bunch, while Curtiss’ and Crossons’ are more slick and groovy. Closing out the edition is a rare track from Troxler, who has collaborated with Crosson on “Breathing.”
As an extra, we’ve included a Studio Essentials feature with Triptease, who talk XLR8R through the gear behind their debut album, Mescaleros, out in April.
The package, including the tracks, zine, and wallpaper artwork, is downloadable via Bandcamp once you SUBSCRIBE HERE.
You can stream snippets of the release below, along with a preview of this month’s zine, which will also be printed in a limited-edition run.
For those unfamiliar, XLR8R+ is a member-supported music community and subscription service. Every month, you will get three exclusive tracks—sometimes more—by amazing artists that XLR8R has supported over the years, as well as exclusive editorial content, exclusive mixes, FREE passes to music festivals and events, curated music playlists and more.You can find out more here.
Pyramid is the Norwegian eight-piece’s first outing on Flying Lotus’ label and their first album since 2015’s Starfire, their eighth in total.
In contrast to Starfire, the band, led by Lars Horntveth, took a direct approach. Whereas Starfire saw them take the idea of a traditional studio record to extremity, with different members dipping in and out of the booth to write, record, and experiment over two years, the process behind Pyramid was almost the polar opposite in that it took just two weeks.
For the album, all eight members retreated to a secluded woodland studio in neighbouring Sweden, and bunkered into the studio for 12-hour days.
“The most important thing is that we didn’t want to over-analyze every musical idea,” says co-founder and drummer Martin Horntveth. “We wanted to follow the first and original idea and keep the freshness.”
Pyramid is also Jaga Jazzist’s first self-produced album—most of their records being produced by close collaborator Jørgen Træen—and it meant a change in the way they operate because they didn’t have an independent figure to make a call on whether something was a good idea. The result is an album that feels “more collaborative” than ever, we’re told.
The end result is suitably cosmic to match the group’s new label home, and it nods to forebears spanning from ’80s jazz band Out To Lunch and Norwegian synth guru Ståle Storløkken, to contemporaries Tame Impala, Todd Terje, and Jon Hopkins.
Tracklisting
01. Tomita 02. Spiral Era 03. The Shrine 04. Apex
Pyramid LP is out on April 24 via Brainfeeder. Meanwhile, you can stream “Spiral Era” in full below, and pre-order the album here.
Andrea will release his debut album, Ritorno, via Ilian Tape in April.
The 12-track album follows several EPs from Andrea dating back to 2012 when he debuted on Ilian Tape with Zero. In 2018, he released Remade and Forse but he has been quiet since, outside of DJing. His sound is very much shaped by the break-driven house and techno of the Munich label.
There’s nothing disclosed about the album itself other than that it comprises “cosmic waves that will channel your spirit animal.” It follows albums from the Zenker Brothers, Skee Mask, and Stenny on Ilian Tape.
Tracklisting
01. Attimo 02. SKLYN 03. LS September 04. TrackQY 05. Rein 06. fLG_Amb 07. Drumzzy 08. Backdrops 09. Liquid 10. Isabelle’s String 11. Twin Forests 12. Lana
Ritorno LP is out on April 9 on vinyl and digitally. Meanwhile, you can hear clips below and pre-order here.
Iceland’s Volruptus has unveiled his new album on Bjarki’s bbbbbb label, titled First Contact.
Volruptus, whose real name remains undisclosed, first appeared on bbbbbb in 2017 with the sold-out Homeblast EP. He’s since become a staple of the Icelandic label, appearing on its gabber and psy-trance compilations as well as with the Alien Agenda EP, out last year. Elsewhere, he’s put out material on трип and Sweaty Records, where he released his self-titled debut album in 2016.
The label has disclosed nothing about the album, other than that it demonstrates Volruptus’ “unfathomable studio abilities” across 12 stellar tracks that span countless different tempos, genres, rhythms, and sounds.
Tracklisting
A1. Tapetum Lucidum A2. We Are the Cyborgs A3. TOP 20 FACTS You Didn’t Know About ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS! B1. Chicxulub Space Rock B2. Butt Shakin’ Freaks B3. Top 10 BIZZARE Discoveries Science STILL Can’t Explain… C1. First Contact C2. Fótafimi C3. Juggernaut Cosmonaut D1. Hyperbóla D2. Man In the Moon D3. Algorithm Society
First Contact LP drops on bbbbbb on March 27 on vinyl and digitally.
Editor note: Streams will be added to this post if and when they’re made available.
XLR8R is offering current and new XLR8R+ subscribers free passes to Picnic’s 8th Birthday, taking place at Fabric, London on Saturday, March 14.
All you have to do is SUBSCRIBE HERE, then email [email protected] with your name and “Picnic” as the subject. If you are already a subscriber, you can simply email in. Learn more about XLR8R+ and the ethos behind it here.
After eight years in the game, London’s Picnic is celebrating with one of the best lineups we’ve seen in London in 2020. Francesco Del Garda, Laurine & Cecilio (Slow Life), Christian AB b2b Quest, and Andy Luff all make up the bill in the famous Room 1 which has hosted some of the world’s finest selectors since the clubs inception in 1999.
Picnic Started off in 2012 throwing illegal raves in the Vaults down in Hoxton. They booked the likes of Priku, Christain AB, Harry Mcanna, and Rich Nxt during their time there and it’s a location they look back at with fond memories. Room 2 was used as the smoking area, with Room 1 providing an ideal backdrop for the music—essentially it was a blank canvas that the crew could do what they wanted with, bringing in huge sound systems and a crowd who loved to get down.
Christian AB playing at the Vaults back in 2012.
Since then, they’ve dipped in and out of a host of London venues, utilizing intimate spaces with quality systems all stemming from the ethos of the party, as co-founder and resident Andy Luff states: “We just wanted to take what we do in our bedroom and give it to our friends.” This then evolved into throwing a rave down in the Hackney woods and hiring a half-ton generator only for the police to show up just as the first track was being played.
With the co-founders, Andy and Tom Ashplant, both working full-time jobs, those types of financial hits are not easy to take, so they left the risky business of illegal raves behind, going onto host an infamous after-party in a hilltop villa in Ibiza, as well as gaining a year-long residency at 93 Feet East in London, where they booked some of the finest names in house, techno, and minimal. They’ve also taken the Picnic brand across Europe, including to Culture Box in Copenhagen, the now unfortunately closed down, Parker Lewis in Mannheim, Veronica Ship in Amsterdam and one of the finest spots, in Berlin, Hoppetosse. Their first label release is also due on February 28, with Swedish producer Martinez. It’s available to pre-order here as a vinyl-only release.
After eight years and more than 50 events, they will now debut at fabric with a killer lineup. Don’t miss out on this special offer.
The latest edition of XLR8R+ explores Portugal’s thriving dance scene with tracks and content from DJ Nigga Fox, RS Produções, BLEID, and Serpente, plus artwork by Márcio Matos. Listen to the tracks here.
QRTR, real name Meagan Rodriguez, has signed with Dome of Doom for the release of her debut album, Drenched.
QRTR started work on Drenched in 2017, carving out new material around DJ sets across the United States and recent gigs in Madeira, Portugal, and she finished it it November 2019, with the majority of the recording sessions occurring at her home-studio in Brooklyn, New York. It follows her Absinthe Party EP, released in 2017, and features Dome of Doom label-mate Blake Skowron.
The album is described as a “love song” to the ocean’s depths. QRTR’s father was born in Puerto Rico and her mother in Madeira, a Portuguese island off the coast of Morocco. “Waves and dance music have a lot in common, the way they provide release through repetition,” QRTR continues. “In Madeira, the people have an intimate relationship with the ocean, one of both respect and fear. The island is mountainous, with rocky beaches along the sides of cliffs. It beckons you, and when you’ve succumbed, the high tide comes in and pushes you back out.”
Influences behind it include QRTR’s love for reading, in particular the work of Haruki Murakami and the New Yorker‘s Jia Tolentino, and also a growing interest in space. “There is a YouTube video of sounds recorded by the NASA Voyager passing by Jupiter,” she explains. “You can hear the vibrations of electromagnetic particles being slammed by solar winds. It’s haunting and beautiful and I listened to it a hundred times over the course of writing Drenched, wondering how I could make people feel the way those sounds made me feel.”
Across the album, QRTR infuses film library material she has collected during film school and also her own vocal recordings, “making it a really unique house record,” the label explains.
The artwork was completed by Matthew Beck and depicts the environment of the record, with the album title sinking into a wave of pinks and blues, struggling to stay afloat.
On mastering duties was renowned engineer Jamie Myerson, whose work became an integral component to the album’s completion and design.
Tracklisting
01. I Gave Up 02. All Of My 03. Little Pills (feat. Blake Skowron) 04. And Still (Interlude) 05. You Won’t Return (Nunca) 06. My Calls 07. My Bad (I See) 08. A Sunday Morning Meditation (feat. ambientkitty)
Drenched LP drops worldwide on March 20 on streaming platforms and limited edition cassette. Pre-order is available here, and the first single, “I Gave Up,” will drop on February 28.
