Fluxion will release his new album in April, titled Perspectives.
Perspectives is Fluxion’s ninth studio album, following 2018’s Ripple Effect on which he aimed to combine dub techno and film scoring. In contrast, Perspectives is more personal in that it expresses his state of mind at a specific point in time where the need for change was a necessity.
“There are moments in every artistic path, where instead of following a concept, an instinct, a theorem, music becomes the tool that allows you to see and reflect more clearly on your own feelings,” Fluxion, real name Konstantinos Soublis, explains. “Music has this unique ability to talk straight to your inner world, and doesn’t necessarily request the process and the complexities of an analytical mind in order to be understood.It can just be felt.”
Infused with these moments of reflection are some club tracks like “Formation,” “Glimpses,” and “Cliff,” a version of which XLR8R released as part of an XLR8R+ package last year.
Tracklisting, vinyl
A1. Schism A2. Formation A3. Within B1. Glimpses B2. Dawn C1. Glimpses II C2. Down The Line D1. Distance D2. Cliff D3. Promise
Tracklisting, CD/ Digital
01. Schism 02. Formation 03. Within 04. Glimpses 05. Dawn 06. Glimpses II 07. Down The Line 08. Distance 09. Cliff 10. Promise
Perspectives LP is out on April 24 on Vibrant Music on vinyl, CD, and digitally. Meanwhile, you can stream an early version of “Cliff” below.
Ryan James Ford found electronic music in the ’90s in his hometown of Calgary, western Canada, drawn to it by the community that surrounded it, at least until the city outlawed the then-burgeoning rave scene. Studying the music that resonated with him so dearly felt like a logical progression, and he found himself digging into jungle, UK hardcore, techno, house, IDM, and ambient, in particular labels like Warp, Skam, and Downwards, and this led him to an extensive and varied record collection that has underpinned his work for three decades.
It was in Berlin, Germany that Ford’s work took shape when he began taking his production more seriously, drawing on a love for hip-hop, reggae, punk, and even metal, all of which shaped his time in Canada. “The more disconnected I am from home, the more I realize how strong the influences and ideas from living there my whole life are,” he explains. His 2015 release on Marcel Dettmann‘s MDR label paved the way for outings on Clone Basement Series, Trip, and Answer Code Request‘s ACR, but much of his material has come out on his label, SHUT, founded in 2016.
Like his music, Ford’s sets draw influence from well beyond dance music’s remit. His XLR8R podcast, recorded one evening in a cabin on the border of Germany and Poland, is a showcase of sorts for some of Ford’s unreleased tracks, plus some from his friends. As you’d expect, it’s at times hard and pumping but it’s also contemplative, flavored with IDM and aiming to capture “that moment when you realize that you aren’t, and never were, invincible,” he explains.
What have you been up to recently?
I am delving into new sounds musically and finishing some bigger projects. As the days get longer and brighter, I am feeling more energy and excitement to push myself musically.
How does it compare to what you’d play in a club?
The night always dictates the musical direction on its own, preferably, this mix should be listened to on the banks of a fast river with views of the “cliff.” Then you should jump into the water and feel the endless possibilities of life.
What were your musical highlights of 2019?
Bjarki, Animistic Beliefs, Mad Miran, PTU, Sunn O))), Fauzia, FKA twigs, Overmono, Nkisi, Kelly Moran, E-Saggila, Blawan, Tim Hecker, Future, Giant Swan, Roddy Ricch, etc. Too too many. Music is just so fresh and awesome right now. There is a major wave of creativity and new ground is being broken and the energy that comes with that is exhilarating. So many new faces and new sounds, really incredible.
Name three records that you cannot put down right now.
At night, in a black cabin on the border of Germany and Poland with nothing but the fire to warm me.
How did you choose the tracks that you’ve included?
It is what happens when you make it happen, in the black cabin.
Is there a concept to the mix?
It’s that moment when you realize that you aren’t, and never were, invincible.
What are your plans for 2020?
I have a track coming on a compilation of my friend Keepsakes through Haven, a new Clone Basement Series on the way which is full of weird fun pounders, and also some other very exciting releases. I just started working with the agency Suo Motu out of Berlin, so I’m bringing nothing but vibes in 2020.
XLR8R has now joined Mixcloud Select, meaning that to download the podcast you will need to subscribe to our Select channel. The move to Mixcloud Select will ensure that all the producers with music featured in our mixes get paid. You can read more about it here.
Tracklisting
01. Ryan James Ford “Flex Out” (Expansive Mix) (Unreleased) 02. Birk Brainwash “Goyfax” (Unreleased) 03. Golden Virgo “Welcome To My World” (Obscura) 04. PTU “Sirocco” (Trip) 05. DJ Overdose “More Ounces” (Craigie-Knowes) 06. Various Artists “9” (Autechre Remix) (Fat Cat) 07. Bjarki “blikkandi ljos millhouse” (Unreleased) 08. Cristian Vogel “Drumfeed” (Force X) 09. Pearl River Sound “To Shape the Future” (Delirio) 10. Aphex Twin “180db” (Warp) 11. Ryan James Ford “Inadequate” (Dub Version) (Unreleased) 12. Surgeon “Shaper Of The Unknown” (Dynamic Tension) 13. Hadone “?” (Unreleased) 14. Mark Forshaw “Elexorcist” (I Love Acid) 15. Uncrat “Zetald Emgloose” (Proper Line) 16. user18081971 “5 Acid Misc.” (Unreleased) 17. Ryan James Ford “Fish Flakes” (Clone Basement Series) 18. Autechre “Glitch” (RJF-RUB) (Unreleased) 19. Daxyl “Travail à lusine” (Unreleased)
Minor Science is back with his debut album, Second Language, out on Nic Tasker’s Whities on April 3.
Second Language lands two and a half years on from Minor Science’s Whities 012 EP, released on Whities in 2017. The album gives us a widescreen view of a musical world previously glimpsed at through the UK producer’s series of two-track 12″s, and it features a kaleidoscopic range of tempos and intensities: “often fast but rarely heavy, fizzing with detail but full of space, euphoric in places but frequently blue in mood,” the label explains.
As the title suggests, the album takes translation as a guiding principle, exploring the relationship between one’s mother tongue and later learned languages, as well as how translations are often unable to capture original meaning.
Applying this to his work, across 10 tracks, Minor Science, real name Angus Finlayson, puts an idiomatic spin on familiar styles, from Detroit-ish techno and hyper-speed electro to twilit electronica, musique concrète, and sour modal jazz.
The artwork for Second Language depicts a limestone tablet designed by Alex McCullough and carved by local stonemason George Edwards. The relief was then painted in accordance with the back cover. The object was photographed by interiors photographer Oskar Proctor, and the final chosen image is an outtake whilst steadying the piece.
Tracklisting
A1. Second Language (Intro) A2. Balconies A3. Polyglottal A4. Spoken and Unspoken A5. Second Language (Tender Phonemes) A6. For Want of Gelt B1. Blue Deal B2. Gone Rouge B3. Second Language (Kid the Moon) B4. Voiced and Unvoiced
Second Language LP is out on April 3. Meanwhile, you can stream “Blue Deal” in full below, and pre-order here.
Inner Song stems from what Owens describes as “the hardest three years of my life” during which her creative life and everything she’d worked for up to that point were “deeply impacted.” She adds: “I wasn’t sure if I could make anything anymore, and it took quite a lot of courage to get to a point where I could create again.” Across 10 tracks, Owens dives deep into her own psyche, working through the struggles she’s faced while embracing the beauty of the natural world.
Inner Song was largely recorded over a month last winter. As with her debut, Owens worked with collaborator James Greenwood, but this time she let herself go and became more open with whatever sounds emerged.
“With the first album, I was so obsessed with getting the right sound straightaway, which hindered the flow of ideas,” she explains. “This time around, I let go of my perfection in the initial moment for the ideas to fully flourish and become what they want to be.”
The album opens with a cover of Radiohead’s “Arpeggi,” recorded a year before work on Inner Song properly kicked off. The track represents the sort of sonic rebirth that Owens feels is so essential to the album’s aura. “To me, it sounds like rising out of something quite bleak and hopeless, and resurfacing—a comeback from where I was,” Owens adds.
The evocative title of the album, borrowed from free-jazz maestro Alan Silva’s 1972 opus, “really reflects what it felt like to make this record. I did a lot of inner work in the past few years, and this is a true reflection of that.”
Alongside the announcement, Owens has presented the album’s lead single, “Melt!,” which can be streamed in full below. The track, one of the last to be written for Inner Song, dives into the ever-pressing issue of climate change, right down to its structural composition.
“I always need at least one techno banger in there to balance things out,” Owens says. “I knew I wanted to create something that sounded hard with organic samples—one of those samples was melting glacial ice, another was people skating on ice. I felt those were great representations of what’s happening in the world. Every moment you’re breathing and sleeping, this is taking place.”
Owens announced herself with her self-titled debut album in 2017, also on Smalltown Supersound. Inner Song follows remixes of St. Vincent, last year’s Let It Go / Omen 12″, and her recent collaboration with Jon Hopkins.
Tracklisting
01. Arpeggi 02. On 03. Melt! 04. Re-Wild 05. Jeanette 06. L.I.N.E. 07. Corner Of My Sky 08. Night 09. Flow 10. Wake-Up
Inner Song LP is out May 1 on Smalltown Supersound. Meanwhile, you can stream “Melt!” in full below, and pre-order the album now. The vinyl is being released as a sesquialbum, or triple-sided album, with the fourth side etched by Kim Hiorthøy.
Terenzi was one of the first visitors to Planet Euphorique back in 2018, when she collaborated with the label head, and she now returns with her first album, titled Modern Bliss. Across nine tracks, Terenzi, from Melbourne, Australia, presents a playful collection touching on post-electro, extra-terrestrial techno, and dreamy prog-house. The album features two collaborations, one with D. Tiffany as DJ Zozi and another with singer Ivy Barkakati.
Modern Bliss is Planet Euphorique’s first album project, and the label’s 10th release. Terenzi’s last solo release came via Dekmantel in 2019, titled Let’s Ride.
Tracklisting
01. Jungle in the City 02. Elevate 03. Modern Bliss feat. Ivy Barkakati 04. Yo-Yo 05. That Track (Rewired Mix) 06. Spiral 07. Total Eclipse 08. Eternal Lust 09. My Reality Cheque Bounced feat. DJ Zozi
Modern Bliss LP is out April 17 digitally and on vinyl, with pre-order here. Meanwhile, you can stream clips below.
Mixcloud has kicked off its 10-year celebrations with a redesign.
From now on, Mixcloud users will see the M-X logo appear across the website, apps, and channels as the brand looks to better express the passion and vibrancy of the community that surrounds it. This marks the dawn of a longer-term transition that will include an improved user experience as the platform strives to get more fans directly supporting the creators and culture they care about.
“Now more than ever, we need to support the people pushing culture forward, not just the algorithms,” the Mixcloud’s founders explain in a letter. “That’s the future we’re fighting for.”
Mixcloud is the work of Nikhil Shah and Nico Perez, who met at Cambridge University. The platform is now based in East London, and over 1.7 million creators have used it to upload their content, compiling a catalog of more than 50 million hand-crafted DJ mixes, radio shows, and podcasts.
As part of the celebration, Mixcloud has opened up a merchandise store, available here, with t-shirts, tote bags, and sticker packs.
The 10-year celebrations start now, and the mark the occasion, you can stream Mixcloud’s 10-year birthday film below.
Kamran Sadeghi will debut on Line with a new album recorded inside a nuclear cooling tower.
The tower in reference is that of Satsop, one of five nuclear power plants built by the United States in the late 1970s in response to projected energy demands of the rapidly growing Washington state region. The construction was suspended shortly before the facility was completed and what remains is a structure 129 meters across at the base, and rising to a height of nearly 152 meters.
From 2004 to 2008, a small team worked to open the space to artistic interpretation, recognizing within the space the interplay of site-specific sound, weathered industrial architecture, and the natural environment.
In 2008, Sadeghi was selected resident and, inspired by American composer Alvin Lucier’s I am Sitting In A Room, he amplified an original electronic music passage lasting two minutes into the structure and recorded the outcome of the tower’s acoustic response. This recording was then re-amplified back into the structure and re-recorded. Sadeghi repeated this process 10 times, and with each cycle the natural acoustics of the tower began to reshape the original passage until it disappeared entirely.
The result is a 25-minute sonic experience full of audible artefacts that document space, time, and our environment. The composition was created on location and in real-time, allowing all natural elements such as wind, rain, wildlife, resonance, and feedback-distortion to be a part in the process and therefore the end result. Sadeghi used no post-production effects.
The album comes with a Rework version, a studio interpretation recorded live using samples of the original composition, processed through effects, and used as a guide for added atmospheric electronic tones as counterpoint.
The title, Loss Less, is a reference to the term “lossless compression,” a process that allows for the preservation of audio data. In this case, the audio was not preserved, rather intentionally degraded. The title also taps into the reality of catastrophic loss and destruction caused by nuclear energy, and the call for less.
Line is located in Los Angeles, California, and is curated by Richard Chartier. Founded in 2000, the label publishes editions documenting compositional and installation works by sound artists exploring the aesthetics of minimalism, including Mark Fell, Frank Bretschnieder, and William Basinski. Read more about it here.
Tracklisting
01. Loss Less (original) (25:15) 02. Loss Less (rework) (22:53)
Loss Less is out digitally on March 13. Meanwhile, you can hear clips and pre-order here.
Tiombé Lockhart will release her elusive debut album, The Aquarius Years, on vinyl for the first time.
Lockhart, a gifted singer-songwriter known for her subversive and experimental approach to electronic soul music, is noted for her work on Platinum Pied Pipers’ cult classic Triple P. She released The Aquarius Years on CD and sold it during her tour with Platinum Pied Pipers and Bilal in the early 2000s, but it has stayed largely under the radar, even after Lockhart shared it digitally last year.
Mother Tongue Records, an independent label in Verona, Italy, has now remastered the album and prepared it for vinyl release for the first time. All current streams will be taken down shortly ahead of the re-mastered release.
Lockhart’s vocals are at the heart of the album, and she’s joined by multiple Grammy Award winner Robert Glasper on two tracks, and also soul singer Bilal, a lifelong collaborator, who features on the sombre stepper “Sexy Suzy On A Sunday,” where they effortlessly blend trap-like 808s with classic, soulful R&B.
Tracklisting
01. Mr. Johnnie Walker 02. G.P. (feat. Robert Glasper) 03. Sexy Suzy On A Sunday (feat. Bilal) 04. Working Girls Suicide (Capricorn Eclipse) (feat. eCUSSIONIST) 05. Tip Of My Tongue 06. You Need Me 07. California Dreaming (feat. Robert Glasper)
The Aquarius Years LP is out on March 6 on vinyl only. Meanwhile, you can read more here, where you can also hear clips of the music.
R.A.P. Ferreira, real name Rory Allen Philip Ferreira, has shared a new animated video ahead of his new album, Purple Moonlight Pages.
Purple Moonlight Pages is the experimental hip-hop artist’s first full-length album under the new moniker, having previously released several albums as milo, including 2018’s Budding Ornithologists Are Weary of Tired Analogies. It’ll once again come via Ferreira’s own Ruby Yacht label.
The album is entirely co-produced with Los Angeles-based group The Jefferson Park Boys—Kenny Segal, Mike Parvizi, and Mr. Carmack—and was recorded at their home studio. Production credits are also given to Tsuruda and Jason Wool (a.k.a Woolymammoth) of Courteous Family, and it also features Open Mike Eagle and Mike Ladd. Mastering comes from Daddy Kev.
Ahead of the album, animator Ben Clarkson and R.A.P Ferreira have shared new video “Leaving Hell,” which you can stream below.
Tracklisting
01. DECORUM 02. GREENS 03. NONCIPHER 04. OMENS & TOTEMS 05. U.D.I.G. (UNITED DEFENDERS OF INTERNATIONAL GOODWILL) 06. LAUNDRY 07. DUST UP 08. CYCLES 09. ABSOLUTES 10. NO STARVING ARTISTS 11. LEAVING HELL 12. DOLDRUMS 13. AN IDEA IS A WORK OF ART ft. Mike Ladd 14. MYTHICAL 15. PINBALL ft. Open Mike Eagle 16. GOLDEN SARDINE 17. RO TALK 18.MASTERPLAN
Purple Moonlight Pages LP is out digitally on March 6. Meanwhile, you can stream lead single “DOLDRUMS” over at Bandcamp, where you can also read about tour dates and pre-order the album.
Peder Mannerfelt and Malcolm Pardon will return as Roll The Dice with six collaborations with Pär Grindvik, Alessandro Cortini, Glasser, Goran Kajfes, Sophia Loizou, and El Perro del Mar.
Roll The Dice recorded all six studio partnerships over the past three years and they each emerged digitally as Assimilarity around the same time as their their most recent LP, Born To Ruin, in 2017. This is the first time the tracks will be released on vinyl and together, comprising a 12″ that “pushes their penchant for cinematic soundscapes in striking, unusual directions,” the label explains.
Alongside the music, Fabio Almeida has created individual artwork for each of the pieces, which will be presented as six prints within the EP. The original pieces will be on display at a launch party and exhibition for Assimilarity in Stockholm on March 17.
Tracklisting
A1. Roll The Dice & Pär Grindvik “Buried” A2. Roll The Dice & Alessandro Cortini “Hydra” A3. Roll The Dice & Glasser “Elevate” B1. Roll The Dice & Goran Kajfes “Sketches of Pain” B2. Roll The Dice & Sophia Loizou “Head Drop” B3. Roll The Dice & El Perro del Mar “Big Black”
Assimilarity LP is out March 13 on vinyl and digitally. Meanwhile, you can hear the Sophia Loizou and Alessandro Cortini collaborations below.
