Paul Rose (a.k.a. Scuba, pictured above) has again taken to his SCB moniker, readying a pair of reworks of Arkist‘s 2011 single “Rendevous” to be released on a forthcoming 12″ for Apple Pips. Though the SCB edit of “Rendezvous” first made an appearance on Scuba’s 2011 DJ Kicks mix, the tune has apparently been kept as a “secret weapon” of sorts by Apple Pips label head Appleblim, who has now deemed both it and a new “SCB Dub” version of the tune ready for release. The Rendezvous/ SCB Remixes 12″ will drop on July 1; a stream of SCB’s initial edit, as it appeared on the aforementioned Scuba mix CD, can be heard below.
Big hip-hop drums and bleepy, chip-tune synths coat the bleak world created by SoCal native Egadz (a.k.a. Erik Nava) on “Ghost,” a track pulled from his forthcoming Satellites LP. The production sees Nava aggressively (and carefully) filling in the entire frequency spectrum with a load of glitched-out synthetic elements, and just after the drums temporarily drop out at the one-minute mark, a potent, apocalyptic synth immediately shifts the track from a merely ominous vibe to an outrightly menacing one. Egadz gradually transforms his tune into an anthem which explores the possibilities a producer can uncover with little more than his imagination and a computer.
John Talabot‘s “So Will Be Now…” (from his excellent, XLR8R Pick’d debut LP, ƒIN) was one of 2012’s most memorable tunes—we even deemed it the third best track of the year. Still, the song had yet to be released as a standalone single, but last month we caught wind of a new 12″ which would feature the original production and a new “Club Revision” by Talabot and frequent collaborator Pional, a version which is now available to hear in full. Recently released as a small-run 12″ pressed onto shiny green vinyl, the “So Will Be Now…” single is out now in select stores. The new “Club Revision” of the tune can be streamed in full below.
It has been some time since we’ve heard anything new from shadowy UK artist Forest Swords, but today, we’re treated to his first new song since 2010’s excellent Dagger Paths, the dark and dubby “Thor’s Stone.” The sparse instrumental track is said to be a taste of the next record to come from the artist born Matthew Barnes, which—as Pitchfork points out—will be arriving in the near future via Tri Angle. While we patiently wait for the concrete details of that release to emerge, a full stream of “Thor’s Stone” can be heard below.
Well over a year after its release, remix packages for tracks from Nina Kraviz‘s self-titled debut LP, continue to surface, with stateside tehcno veteran DVS1‘s reworks of “Best Friend” set to be the next to be released. Dropping on July 22 via Radioslave’s Rekids label, the Best Friend (DVS1 Remixes) EP will feature two seperate effrots from its remixer along with Kraviz’s original tune. The artwork and tracklist for the upcoming release is included below.
01 Best Friend (DVS1 Forever Mix feat. Naughty Wood) 02 Best Friend (DVS1 Dub Test feat. Naughty Wood) 03 Best Friend (Original Version)
With a trail of noteworthy releases for Aus and collaborations alongside Pearson Sound’s old Ramadanman moniker, Breach, and Pariah to his name, London producer Midland (a.k.a. Harry Agius) has decided to launch his own label, Graded, with the imprint’s first 12″ single set to drop next month. In an email, Midland explains that Graded will focus “on vinyl [releases] with full artwork sleeves, 180-gram pressings, and locked grooves,” though all of its records will also be available digitally. The new label is said to initially serve as an outlet for Agius’ own productions and collaborations, but will also look to include music from his peers that fit with the label’s tone, which the owner describes as “left-of-center electronic club music.” Midland’s own “Archive 01” b/w “Realtime” single is set to drop on July 15, and can be previewed via the player below.
In preparation for the release of its forthcoming compilation, ZZK Sound Vol. 3, the forward-thinking ZZK label has unveiled the record’s first single, a bouncy tune from Argentinian duo Frikstailers. “Omeprazol” builds on the foundation of cumbia’s traditionally graceful rhythms with an improvised electronic twist—changes which are most apparent in the production’s crunchy basslines, sweeping synths, and sparse, dubby vocal samples. Before the record drops on July 1, the tracklist and artwork for ZZK Sound Vol. 3 can be perused after the jump.
01 Mati Zundel – Vacilón 02 Brujjas Deejay – Zombie Dance 03 Animal Chuki – La Venenosa 04 Dembowsky – Orinoco 05 Nate Mars – Ziraffa 06 El Remolón – Paseo Epico 07 Los Reyes de la Milanga – Pupos Widow 08 Jairomendez – Sonido Galaxia 09 Chancha Via Circuito – Tarocchi 10 Frikstailers – Omeprazol 11 Dubberman – Polvo Yukpa 12 Thornato – Gaita Gaita 13 Sara Hebe – Tuve que quemar (Duo Calhambre remix) 14 Le Freak Selector ft. Zai – Ganja Coolture 15 Javier Estrada – Jungla Estelar
Longstanding UK shapeshifter Clark is readying a two-disc collection of remixes both for his music and by the producer himself, a compilation which will arrive this fall via Warp. Along with productions from Nathan Fake and Bibio, the 29-track Feast/Beast will feature Clark’s reworkings of Amon Tobin, Kuedo, Battles, Depeche Mode, Massive Attack, HEALTH, and Nils Frahm, among many others. The artist says of his forthcoming release, “In some ways, these remixes represent the range of music I have released over the 10 years in my albums. But they are more unhinged—there is more freedom involved when using other people’s material. And particularly when friends are involved, it can push you into electric new terrain.” Feast/Beast will drop on September 16, but before then, its tracklist can be found below, along with an unreleased song which finds Clark remixing himself.
Disc 1 – Feast 1. The Beige Lasers – Smoulderville (Clark Remix) 2. DM Stith – Braid of Voices (Clark Remix) 3. Amon Tobin – Kitchen Sink (Clark Remix) 4. Nathan Fake – Fentiger (Clark Remix) 5. Clark – Alice (Redux) 6. Kuedo – Glow (Clark Remix) 7. Barker and Baumecker – Spur (Clark Remix) 8. Silverman – CANTSTANDTHERAIN (Clark Remix) 9. Rone – Let’s Go (Clark Remix) 10. Nils Frahm – Peter (Clark Rework) 11. Glen Velez – Untitled (Clark Remix) 12. Clark – Absence (Bibio Remix) 13. Clark – Ted (Bibio Remix) 14. Vampillia – Sea (Clark Remix) 15. Prince Myshkin – Cold Caby (Clark Remix)
Disc 2 – Beast 1. Massive Attack – Red Light (Clark Remix) 2. Battles – My Machines (Clark Remix) 3. Letherette – D&T (Clark Remix) 4. Clark – Growls Garden (Nathan Fake Remix) 5. Aufgang – Dulceria (Clark Remix) 6. Maximo Park – Let’s Get Clinical (Clark Remix) 7. The Terraformers – Evil Beast (People In The Way) (Clark Remix) 8. Clark – Suns Of Temper (Bear Paw Kicks Version) 9. Health – Die Slow (Clark Remix) 10. Depeche Mode – Freestate (Clark Remix) 11. Mr. Boggle – Siberian Hooty / Fallen Boy (Clark Remix) 12. Drvg Cvltvre – Hammersmashed (Clark Remix) 13. Milanese – Mr Bad News (Clark Remix) 14. Feynmann’s Rainbow – The Galactic Tusks (Clark Remix)
Patently abstract, this black-and-white clip for the latest single from UK producer James Holden‘s forthcoming The Inheritors album was made solely from the artwork of Jack Featherstone, who also designed all of packaging for the LP and directed and animated this piece with the help of Will Samuel. Simple line drawings interplay with other shapes and doodles over beds of smudged charcoal and other grey material, almost making the video look like an animated modern art exhibit. Holden’s “Renata” track blips, bubbles, and fizzes across its six-minute runtime, constantly driven by arpeggiating basslines and shuffling drum rhythms. The rest of The Inheritors will be released on June 17 via Border Community.
The Black Madonna‘s latest EP of rough-and-tumble disco is unexpectedly emotive. Fortified with acid lines and freighted with emotional baggage, the Chicago producer still makes sure the Lady of Sorrows EP’s bleeding heart isn’t too weighed down to strut. With a few records under her belt from labels such as Scotland’s Home Taping Is Killing Music and Chicago’s Stripped & Chewed, The Black Madonna specializes in a studied-yet-exuberant style that steers clear of polished nu-disco clichés. Looping, locked-in past efforts like “Alright This Morning” and “We Don’t Need No Music (Thank You Rahaan)” were as gritty and lived-in as pleather marinated in cigarette smoke. The tough realism of that sound opens up on this EP, which permits the digressions her other records kept at bay. The result is a record that charts a more vulnerable course over its two sides without foregoing the edge The Black Madonna has been honing on her previous few releases. Despite the titles’ strife-filled overtones, “A Jealous Heart Never Rests” and “We Can Never Be Apart” are peaceful, tender, and at times beautifully ADD.
The a-side opens on grave strings shot through with a feeling of loss. But reinforced by an assertive drum-and-clap hustle, the track quickly buoys its regret. A walking 303 line that rearranges itself into increasingly complicated anagrams also lends to the puttering, syrupy momentum. The producer lowers her guard even further on the b-side. “We Can Never Be Apart” begins on a similar note, but takes a less linear path—structurally, it twists and turns indecisively, but a sumptuously sad vibe holds it together. That sense of intimacy pushes this record to the forefront of her discography, and makes “We Can Never Be Apart” the most resonant thing she’s produced so far. At times, nu-disco seems to exist solely to make good on the old rockist arguments about soulless dance music, but The Black Madonna has a very different constitution. She’s preoccupied with how dance music connects with actual bodies—and, judging by the unexpected vulnerability of Lady of Sorrows, hearts.
