Watch Chilly Gonzales Talk Daft Punk, Harmony, Collaborating, and More

Now that we’re finally within the same month that Daft Punk‘s Random Access Memories LP will be released (on May 21, that is), the anticipation is so tangibly thick that we’ll happily listen to just about anyone with some information about the album. That’s not to say we wouldn’t be at all interested in what longstanding producer/MC/pianist Chilly Gonzales is doing these days, but maybe his connection with Daft Punk’s long-awaited full-length makes him a bit more intriguing today. Gonzales goes into detail about his work with the French duo, his favorite aspects about writing and recording music, the ups and downs of working with other artists, and other topics—with plenty of impromptu piano accompaniment thrown in the mix. He even plays brief snippets of Daft Punk’s brand-new material, which is pretty great to hear in any form. The whole interview can be seen below.

Citizen So Submissive EP

Having only begun releasing records in late 2011, Citizen‘s career as a producer is still in its relative infancy. And yet, when the London-based house obsessive otherwise known as Laurence Matthew Blake does get written about, there’s one sentiment that is often returned to: that his music speaks for itself. One listen to Blake’s latest for Kerri Chandler’s MadTech imprint—or his equally potent releases on the Love Fever label—and it’s easy to hear why. The man knows house, new and old. While distinctly modern, Citizen’s sound draws a line straight back to the soulful height of ’90s house, be it from Chicago, Jersey, New York, or his native London.

The EP’s title track makes for a pristine example of this cross-generational house sound. Kicking in hard with a vintage garage beat, complete with the pulse of a 909 hi-hat keeping time, “So Submissive” celebrates Blake’s love affair with the dancefloor without coming across as a tired rehash, as its jacking beat has been updated for the present with bright key stabs, a synthetic woodblock, and the deep rumble of elongated bass tones. Showcasing his knack for applying vocal textures to his tracks, Blake implements a pitched-down male R&B line, which trades off between melancholic wails and chopped refrains pining over the song’s female protagonist.

On the flip, “Stronger with You” is more London than Jersey in its garage influences. The crisp combo of rimshots and cymbal clangs slowly builds into the track’s syncopated skip, with the steady drip of minor keys luring listeners into the swirling abyss of its anticipatory breakdown. Returning to the propulsive groove with the addition of subtle low end, Blake reinforces his sampling prowess, letting the track’s energy ebb and flow beneath a flourishing chorus of indecipherable vocal samples, pinging in forward and reverse motion through a reverb-drenched echo chamber. The effect imbues his track with a sense of raw sexuality, another overarching quality that makes Blake such a promising new talent.

Labelmates Waze & Odyssey also repay a remix favor, adding some grit to the package with a stomping treatment of “Stronger with You” that’s sure to gain more mass appeal than its counterpart. Reworking the track’s intricate vocal snippets, the British duo takes more room to breathe, firing them off one at a time over a jacking rhythm that’s laced with a deep, wandering synth line. At the same time, though it’s expertly produced, Waze & Odyssey’s remix fails to capitalize on a lot of the qualities that make Citizen such a rising force. Blake’s smart throwback touch, stirring soulfulness, and prominent low end are enviable qualities, and its those elements that set the original productions on this EP apart. It might have been more to the point for Blake to have titled this one So Seductive.

Serifu “Said Situation”*Diskotopia*

The forthcoming Stucco Swim EP will serve as the debut release from Serifu—a new talent whose SoundCloud claims the island of Papua New Guinea to be its home—when it drops next week via Japan’s growing Diskotopia label. Pulled from that EP, “Said Situation” sounds as if it were assembled on a construction site. The clattering of rhythmic machines gives the tune a futuristic edge, but “Said Situation” is at its core a muscular—albeit a bit abstract—club track, one with enough heavy-handed push to keep bodies moving on the floor while the rest goes to work on the brain. Before the Stucco Swim EP drops on May 6, Serifu has also shared a video for the record’s title cut, which can be seen after the jump.

Said Situation

Ejeca Different Rules/Life in Flux

Belfast-based Ejeca has quickly established himself as a prolific voice, already bettering last year’s four releases with five in 2013. Like his associates in Bicep, the producer born Garry McCartney takes heavy influence from 1990s garage, so much so that many of his tracks sound like faithful recreations of this music. Of course, Marc Kinchen’s dubs are legendary, and reproducing his music 20 years on is a perfectly fine m.o., if only for DJs’ sake. McCartney’s skill at conjuring this era is compounded by his tracks’ general lack of frills; because they tend not to over-employ modern production tricks (other than sounding considerably sleeker), his songs sit well with these older productions. On his latest pair of EPs, McCartney both furthers this reputation and strays into some new, less derivative territory.

On Different Rules, the inaugural release for Lokee Musik, Ejeca delivers a pair of tunes that stay true to form. The title track’s rhythm has old-school garage’s trademark bumpy swing; there are vocal chops intoning something like “in the house,” steady organ patterns, and thin strings. “Akrobat” moves in similar territory, led by growling bass and an airy organ. It has both an emptier framework and a greater variety of vocal samples though, and its rimshot-led charge is somehow more infectious as a result. Ekkohaus‘ remix of “Different Rules” ramps up the energy with a steady piano line, but otherwise only adds a few slight touches. Eric Volta, meanwhile, empties “Akrobat” out in favor of a stabby marimba and a resounding portamento bassline that dominates the track. Each of these tracks works off a laundry list of stock motifs, which keeps them firmly in the functional category.

Life in Flux, McCartney’s first release for 2020 Vision, is not drastically different. Its four tracks are underpinned by the same sorts of swinging drums and tough basslines, and generally find their hooks in some sort of organ melody and vocal chops. “Agent of the Deep,” “Home,” and “Jump” all feature measured variations on these themes. While all are sharply composed, they are not particularly novel. But in places, McCartney does find new ways to breathe life into these sounds. This experimentation is most noticeable on “Purnsley,” which opts for drowsy, filtered-down chords over energetic stabs, and concludes on a thoroughly eerie note with dissonant, Liquid Sky-style synth vox. In the future, McCartney would be wise to keep himself unconfined in this way.

Mouse on Mars’ Jan St. Werner Preps Solo Album, Shares New Track

Jan St. Werner, one half of pioneering electronic duo Mouse on Mars, has unveiled plans to release a solo LP next month via Thrill Jockey, sharing a stream of album cut “Feed Opener” in the process. The forthcoming Blaze Colour Burn LP will serve as the inaugural release of Werner’s proposed Fiepblatter series, which the veteran producer plans to use as an outlet to “explore some of his more experimental, less overtly rhythmic, inclinations.” Furthermore, the press release states that the series will encompass “electro-acoustic experimentation, algorithmic elements, scored music, digital signal processing, field recordings, improvisation, public performance, and graphic works,” thorughout its run. The six-track Blaze Colour Burn record will kick off the series when it sees a release on June 11. Before then, Werner has shared the upcoming record’s artwork and tracklist, which can be found with “Feed Opener” below.

01 Cloud Diachroma
02 Spiazzacorale B
03 Feed Opener

04 Serra Beacon
05 Spiazzacorale A
06 Sipian Organ

Alizzz “Arista”*MofoHifi*

Technicolor Barcelona producer Alizzz has just released his newest EP, Collapse, via the Bobby Tank-affiliated MofoHifi label, and we’re offering up a free download of the record’s final, sample-heavy cut “Arista.” The track sees Alizzz working somewhere between post-dubstep, contemporary R&B, and 80s synth-funk, and has a distinct maximalist bent that recalls Rustie in some of his more restrained moments. Combining a liquid bassline with lurching, layered synths, “Arista” is a heady mix of lovelorn R&B and future-funk.

Arista

Deetron Out of My Head EP

If its first two singles are an accurate taste of Deetron‘s forthcoming sophomore album, then the LP might very well be a vocal-heavy affair. “Crave,” released at the close of last year, saw the Swiss veteran smear Hercules & Love Affair’s Andy Butler onto strutting, disco-infused house, and its follow-up, “Out of My Head,” is equally voice-oriented, as it features Ovasoul7‘s buttery tones stretched across seven terrace-filling minutes.

It’s a house record reminiscent of recent Innervisions releases, but though Deetron’s hand is a deft one—the bells ring out, the strings stab and glide in the right places—the slightly lackluster dub proves that this is a record made by its vocal. Ovasoul7 infuses things with personality, and drapes the chattering hats and snares in something capable of lifting a field of arms at any festival, though it’s debatable how long the impression will last once they’re down.

Given the slight absence of charisma, it’s fortunate that George FitzGerald and KiNK have been enlisted for remix duty. Each has forged a unique take on house music—the former by channeling some of dubstep’s introspective fragments, the latter by employing the analog growl of Chicago by way of The Hague—and both choose to keep Ovasoul7 front and center. FitzGerald’s take bears prints from the hand behind last year’s breakout “Child,” though things here develop in a tougher fashion, as a lengthy, kick-free intro coalesces into strident synths that pour their sheen around the deftly manipulated vocal. KiNK goes predictably bigger, dialling the buzzing, the bells, and the booming kicks up to 11 and peppering the whole affair with fizzing snare cracks. The Bulgarian beatmaker also supplies a dub of his own, but it once again falls short in comparison to the vocal take, which speaks volumes when one considers KiNK’s larger-than-life approach to production.

Xosar “The Calling” b/w “Rays of Babylon”

Netherlands-via-California producer Xosar (a.k.a. Sheela Rahman) emerged under the patronage of Danny “Legowelt” Wolfers in the last year, releasing two EPs in collaboration with him, as well as three of her own. All of her original material was assured enough, but hints of Wolfers’s influence lingered throughout. While there are far worse producers to be compared to, his stamp is definable to the point that it could smother a nascent artist’s other interests. It’s nice, then, to hear some of Rahman’s more unique qualities dominating the mix on this latest 12″, “The Calling” b/w “Rays of Babylon.”

Both tracks here take influence from early-’90s ambient and the less swung side of that era’s New York/New Jersey house, and as a result, they fit snugly next to the kinds of throwbacks 100% Silk has been specializing in. “The Calling,” in particular, recalls LA Vampires with its stabby organ, pillowy chords, and slurred, wispy call-and-response vocals singing about “energy.” Rahman completes the track with clusters of radiophonic tones and sparkly synth flourishes, which accentuate its romantic atmosphere. “Rays of Babylon” is similarly lush, as she employs languid, subby bass tones, slow-motion backwards vocals, gleaming keys, and an unfettered flute line. But the track feels more streamlined overall, as its various trails converge in a glittery, constant climb. As with its counterpart, its combination of propulsion and heady ambiance is intoxicating, and can be registered as another sign of promise in Rahman’s young career.

Future Times Previews Forthcoming Huerco S. EP

It was almost a year ago when XLR8Rprofiled DC-based label Future Times, wrapping the piece up with a list of the label’s forthcoming releaess, one of which was said to come at the hands of Kansas’ Huerco S. After a somewhat frustratingly long waiting period—due, according to the label, to pressing plant delays—it appears Huerco S.’ Future Times release is at last on its way as the label today shared a preview of the three-track Apheleia’s Theme EP. According to the label, the EP consists of a trio of “shlazed house beasts,” including the title track “Apheleia’s Theme,” which Future Times claims has been “a fixture in dope DJ sets for months.” While no exact release date has been announced, the EP does have an official catalog number, FT016, so its release seems imminent. Preview snippets for all three of the forthcoming record’s tracks can be heard via the player below. (via Juno Plus)

A1 Apheleia’s Theme
B1 Ausschachtung
B2 Cercy

Lemonade “Perfect Blue”**

Brooklyn trio—and former XLR8R podcast contributors—Lemonade will be embarking on a brief US tour alongside breezy house auteur John Talabot towards the end of May. Before then, the outfit has offered up a new freebie to help spread the word. “Perfect Blue” falls right in line with the brand of emotive, synth-driven pop that Lemonade has perfected over the years, offering a bevy of inviting melodies and wistful vocal turns atop a solid, drum machine-born core driven by 808s. The complete list of Lemonade tour dates with John Talabot can be found after the jump.

May 26 Lincoln Hall, Chicago w/ John Talabot
May 28 Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn w/ John Talabot
May 29 Bardot, Miami w/ John Talabot
May 30 Echoplex, Los Angeles w/ John Talabot
May 31 Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco

Perfect Blue

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