The Black Dog The Return ov Bleep

Sheffield’s The Black Dog has a substantial legacy to manage. Slapped with the unfortunate IDM tag early on, the lineup-shifting trio has neither balked at nor played to expectations, resulting in a consistent body of work. As a result, its latest EP for hometown label Dust Science, The Return ov Bleep, invokes the city’s bleep n’ bass heritage in name and deed, but doesn’t offer much beyond a retread of the style. Dialing down the ambient elements that make its music so suitable to home listening, the four “Bleeps” here pass pleasantly enough, but fail to make a lasting impression, despite the trio’s truth-to-power rhetoric.

Appropriately enough, the EP opens with a clip from Michael Moore’s Sicko, making the group’s political allegiances clear before laying down a squelchy, rolling techno number. As is typical of its productions, “Bleep Four” sounds clean and considered, a seamless puzzle of hardware that locks into place perfectly but sacrifices some essential energy in doing so. The Black Dog seems to sense this, eventually bringing in a pumping, sub-Reese bass line to bolster the arrangement and underscore a general sense of paranoia lurking under the sculpted surface. The more blackened “Bleep Two” continues the unresolved tension without developing it much, while “Bleep One” stands out for adding some syncopation into the mix, along with a cheery dial-up melody, indirectly evoking a quick-and-dirty grime aesthetic that’s a welcome change of pace. “Bleep Five” rounds out the EP with a final helping of buzzing techno, its ratcheting hi-hats and vapor-trail bass sounding somewhat more hungry that what came before. The Return ov Bleep deftly upholds The Black Dog’s reputation, but has limited appeal for initiates looking for a sense of where UK techno is at these days.

Essáy “Lyla”**

German producer Essáy (that’s his obscured image above) sent over “Lyla,” a new production that serves as his contribution to kindrid musical spirit Sun Glitters‘ recent Wrong Weather Forecast #2 compilation. What Essáy’s tune may lack in outright melody, it more than makes up for with heady, emotional overtones, which come enhanced by glittery notes, smooth synth patterns, bright drum rhythms, and a gently warbling bassline. While “Lyla” comes close, it doesn’t quite cross into dancefloor territory, though its warm vibes certainly make it an appropriate tune for transitioning into springtime.

Lyla

Kingdom Preps New EP for Fade to Mind

Los Angeles-based party starter Kingdom will return to his own Fade to Mind imprint for the release of a new seven-track EP in May. Following the producer’s VIP Edition EP for the label last year, the new record—entitled Vertical XL—opens with the familiar “Bank Head,” a track which originally saw light on Night Slugs’ arresting Allstars Volume 2 compilation and features LA-based R&B vocalist Kelela. No exact release date for Vertical XL has been shared yet, but the tracklist for the forthcoming EP (expected to drop sometime this May) can be found below. (via FACT)

01 Bank Head (feat. Kelela)
02 Zip Line
03 Corpse
04 OG Master
05 Viper Lash
06 Takedown Notice
07 Viper XL

Mathew Jonson Readies Single for Crosstown Rebels

Berlin-based producer Mathew Jonson will release a pair of new tunes next month, preceeding the arrival of his second full-length offering this summer. Jonson will return to the Crosstown Rebels imprint in April with “Automaton” b/w “In the Stars,” an outing which is said to highlight the man’s penchant for intricate and nuanced beatwork on the a-side while giving listeners a taste of his more abstract inclinations on its b-side. Jonson’s second full-length album, Her Blurry Pictures, is also said to be in the works with a release on Crosstown Rebels planned for June. “Automaton” b/w “In the Stars” will see a release on April 29th. The artwork for the single has been made available below.

Lakosa & iO “Home Early (Pedro 123 VIP Remix)”*MadTech x Crystal Culture*

Next week, Kerri Chandler’s MadTech imprint will be holding its first party with club night/label Crystal Culture at The Alibi in London. To celebrate, the two outposts have put together a free split EP (artwork above) featuring tracks and remixes by the artists scheduled to play at the inaugural event. Crystal Culture founder and London resident Pedro 123 has offered up his contribution from the free record, a VIP remix of “Home Early” by UK duo Lakosa & iO, which he turns into a hard-hitting house tune filled with grumbling bass and half-time breakdowns. The track can be grabbed below, while the rest of the EP can be streamed/downloaded in the player included after the jump.

Home Early (Pedro123 Remix VIP)

Watch Every Set from XLR8R’s Boiler Room Takeover

Last month, XLR8R was tapped to put together a special Boiler Room session down in Los Angeles, for which we brought out NYC producer FaltyDL, house pioneer MK, Underground Resistance affiliate Santiago Salazar, Icee Hot resident Ghosts on Tape, and our very own editor, Shawn Reynaldo, to put in work behind the decks. While the MK and FaltyDL sets were already featured in last week’s Press Play round-up, the event’s other contributions recently found their way online, which means the entire night can be watched/listened to in full. Each 40-plus-minute session can be found below in chronological order, from Mr. Reynaldo’s opening voyage into fine-tuned house and techno on through FaltyDL’s adventurous closing effort. In addition to the videos below, all the performances from our LA takeover can be streamed directly from Boiler Room’s SoundCloud.

Yosi Horikawa Releases New Mini-LP

Yosi Horikawa—a budding Japanese producer who we tabbed as an Artist to Watch back in January—has dropped a new record, Touch, via French imprint Eklektik. The mini-LP shows off Horikawa’s brand of sound design-informed beatmaking across seven original productions and one remix from French tunesmith Yoggyone. Touch is available now through Eklektik’s Bandcamp, and will see a full release to all digital outlets and select stores on March 23. The record can be streamed in full using the player below.

ThermalBear “Phone”*Last Night on Earth*

Last year, UK producer ThermalBear (a.k.a. Dennis White) explored shuffling garage production and groaning bass on the title track of his debut release, U Love. However, his most recent effort, which dropped this week via Last Night on Earth, finds the producer delving into more techno-influenced territory. “Phone,” the closing track on the Could Be Nice EP (artwork above), is built around a strict, tightly wound beat that contrasts the watery and distorted nature of both the vocal samples and pads laid on top.

Phone

Dark Sky Readies EP for Mister Saturday Night; Preview It Now

NYC party-turned-label Mister Saturday Night will serve as the next landing spot for ceaselessly prolific London trio Dark Sky, which plans to drop its third release of the year through the imprint sometime between late April and early May. The forthcoming In Brackets EP, the fifth for Mister Saturday Night’s growing catalog, appears to feature Dark Sky exploring slightly jazzier territory than it has on previous outings. Still, the group has never shied away from taking on new stylistic adventures, and we imagine the outfit will sound just as at home on the In Brackets EP as it has on any of its other works to date. Brief clips of each EP track can be streamed below.

Hi, Doctor Nick! – Mastering Tips and and the Importance of Bringing in a Professional Engineer

As we’ve said many times before, there’s no stopping Nick Hook. Even while immersed in the madness of SXSW, he still took the time to dole out advice to the XLR8R faithful. There’s no topic our resident advice columnist is afraid to speak on, so anyone out there with questions about music, DJing, production, travel, romance, or whatever else should drop the good doctor a line at doctornick@xlr8r.com.

Wassup y’all? I’m writing this live and direct from Austin, Texas. It’s already been a blast after one day. B. Bravo, Kastle, and JETS all smashed it at the Surefire showcase.

Even before SXSW, I had an amazing week. I saw Rustie and The Deftones smash it in New York, then I hopped in a car and drove 30 hours down here.

I also gave a workshop for the Ableton guys for Live 9. It was really inspiring to see that people knew the column but even better was the realization that we are now in the era where dads teach their kids to make beats.

Anyways, I gotta go. I’m DJing on a boat in a few minutes. This is the broken record part. Send questions! doctornick@xlr8r.com.

Hi Doctor Nick,
Have you got any tips or tricks for mastering your own tracks? Do you always work inside the laptop? Do you put plug-ins on a bounced audio file, or just the master output of the project? Any crazy game-changing techniques you can share with us aspiring artists?
Ben

Yooo.

I don’t always work inside the laptop. For the most part, I generally use the computer in conjunction with hardware, but I’m definitely not scared to work outside the box. Some master bus suggestions: Izotope Ozone 5, Waves L2, Waves SSL bus compressor, plain-old Ableton Limiter plus an EQ, Sonnex Oxford Limiter. I like them all really, but I like getting my shit mastered by someone who knows how to do it better.

But if you learn your room, and are able to go test stuff out in the club, you might be cool. Begin with a preset you like and start tweaking. Personally, I don’t like super overcompressed and limited LOUD stuff. It’s offensive to my ears. Another good test is to drag your “mastered’ files into Serato and see what they look like compared to other ones. You can see if you need to turn it up, if it’s missing bass, if it’s too compressed, etc. It’s actually a valuable tool. Even if you don’t have Serato, the software is free to download and use.

Really though, spend a few bucks and get that shit mastered. It’s worth it. I bet there are mad fools who master stuff that can comment below, and y’all can link. I like going to mastering sessions cuz as easy as it seems, I really see that these guys are pretty much beasts in the studio. I wish i knew how. Obviously, we all fake it sometimes, but I really respect their art.

Apart from that, I don’t have any game-changing advice besides studying the records you love and seeing WHY you love them. I bet you they all will start to correlate somehow—try to emulate that. I also find that anytime you can clear out space in a mix, it helps. Ask what’s essential to your track. Also, leave some headroom for your mastering guy.

That’s my opinion, but I also reached out to my favorite mastering engineer in the world, Joe LaPorta, who masters the majority of my stuff. Here’s what he thinks. Bang.

If you’re going to master in the box with plug-ins, I’d say less is more. Try to find a plug-in or two that’s very effective, but also not degradative to the mix that you’ve been working so hard on. There are many fancy-looking plug-ins out there with tons of bells and whistles, but that doesn’t always mean that they’re helping your track. Try to A/B the results as much as possible to ensure that you’re not losing the plot. It’s easy to make things loud these days, but have you maintained the warmth, punch, and clarity of your mix? Are things starting to sound harsh/thin or smeared? These are characteristics to look out for.

To follow up on what Nick was saying… working with a good mastering engineer with the right gear and approach can help you avoid these issues and obtain that specific “finished” polish that many digital recordings are in need of these days. More importantly, you’re getting a second opinion from a pair of experienced ears that masters records everyday. They can help pinpoint potential issues in the mix that you may have not noticed due to your monitoring/listening environment or maybe because you’ve been too deeply involved in the process of creating/mixing the track and haven’t had a chance to take a step back.

Okay… see you guys in Texas. Say hi if you see me.

Hi, Doctor Nick! appears every Thursday on XLR8R. Do you have a question for Doctor Nick? Please submit your inquires to doctornick@xlr8r.com. Nick Hook can help you.

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