After a quick reprieve following his sophomore LP, Dark Crawler, which dropped on Hyperdub last September, grime and garage alchemist Terror Danjah has returned with a new compilation entitled Hardwired on his own Hardrive imprint. The record collects standout singles from Champion, Royal T, and Bok Bok, in addition to Joker and Terror Danjah’s rework of the former’s 2008 sleeping giant “Gully Brook Lane.” The bulk of the material on the forthcoming compilation is previously unreleased, including new bangers from Hyperdub boss Kode9, Swindle, D.O.K., and FaltyDL. You can check out the artwork and the tracklist below, along with a streaming sampler of the record. Hardwired is due on CD and digital March 25.
1. Terror Danjah – Full Attention (Royal-T Remix) 2. Joker & Terror Danjah – Gully Goon Estate 3. Champion – Lose Control 4. PJam – Arizona Skyz VIP 5. Swindle – Funktion 6. D.O.K – Cardio 7. Teddy Music – Sambucca 8. D.O.K – Sidedok 9. Zed Bias & Terror Danjah – Iceberg History 10. Kode 9 – Ice 11. Champion – Yardman 12. PJam – Insomnia 13. Mz Bratt – Selecta (Bok Bok Remix) 14. D.O.K – Golden Eye 15. Swifta Beater – Move 16. D.O.K – Tomorrow Never Dies 17. Lex Envy – Hard Candy 18. Terror Danjah – Zumpi Huntah (Falty DL Refunk)
Following its announcement of the Kompakt 20 Jahre Kollection, the seminal Kompakt label has continued to roll out new goodies for its 20-year anniversary. Today, the imprint offered up a free track from two of its founding pillars, brothers Reinhold and Wolfgang Voigt, and also announced that the latter will soon be resurrecting his old Mike Ink alias. Wolfgang Voigt was notoriously prolific in the ’90s as Mike Ink, scattering pummeling acid tunes on various labels, and the moniker has apparently been revived with a promise to release various remakes, reworks, and remixes throughout the year. That effort begins with The Best of Mike Ink Is Dead 1, a new 12″ out today on the Voigt brothers’ Protest imprint. In addition, the brothers have offered up “Der Keil NRW,” a cut from their latest record, Die Zauberhafte Welt Der Anderen, for free download. For a limited time, the record is being offered alongside a free download of their elusive Erdingertrax 12″ series on iTunes. You can stream and download “Der Keil NRW” below.
Coming from a handle like Kryptic Minds, one is likely to expect productions that are dark and maybe even a bit sinister. Fortunately, the pair of UK veterans operating under that namesake has been delivering just that for over a decade now, and is set to add another batch of such tunes to its run on the forthcoming—okay, bit of a curveball here—Namaste EP, out March 25 via the Osiris label. “Varia” is a non-EP track, but it nonetheless showcases Kryptic Minds’ prowess within the realm of cavernous textures, which come here enhanced by understated percussion patterns and the type of swallowing low end that only those who were around during dubstep’s original heyday seem to be able to conjure up anymore.
With Native Instruments teasing a new soft synth, Arturia bringing the Minimoog to the iPad, Novation introducing the Launchpad app, Cubase 7 offering a free demo, the MPC updating its software, and MK showing us how he uses the Maschine in his studio, it’s been a busy week in the world of gear. Get all caught up with the action in the latest edition of This Week in Music Tech.
Cubase 7 offers a full 30-day trial and Akai updates its MPC software:
– Perhaps a bit lost in the shadow of Ableton’s impending Live 9 release—which is set to happen next Tuesday, in case you forgot—software developer Steinberg is offering full 30-day trials of its powerful Cubase 7 DAW for free. To try out the recently redesigned program, head here.
– Earlier this week, Akai updated its MPC software, releasing Version 1.3, which features major improvements to the mixer, plug-in, and editor functions as well as bug fixes. The video above covers all that is new with the 1.3 software, which for current MPC Renaissance and MPC Studio users is available to download for free here.
The Minimoog synth and Launchpad controller, now in iPad form:
– Earlier this week, Arturia reworked its highly regarded, Minimoog-modelling VST plug-in, the Mini-V, into a $10 iPad app, deemed the iMini. Those who looking to have the (approximate) sound of a classic ’70s analog synth on their handheld device should head to the iTunes store to download the app.
– Made in the likeness of the company’s popular hardware controller of the same name, Novation has released the Launchpad App for the iPad. Best part is, it is available for the agreeable price of absolutely free and can be grabbed from the iTunes store now.
A new synth tease, a review, and an MK video from Native Instruments:
– Above is Native Instruments‘ teaser video for its new softsynth, which the company touts is the result of “years of meticulous research and the latest in cutting-edge DSP technology combine to deliver a virtual synth with teeth.” Further audio samples of the upcoming and as-yet-unnamed synth can be heard here.
– Last week, NI unveiled the Traktor DJ app for the iPad, and this week we broke down the good and bad, the ins and outs, and everything else you need to know about the new product in our latest gear review. You can read the whole piece here.
– From the looks of the above video, pioneering house producer and remixer Marc Kinchen (a.k.a. MK) appears to really like his Maschine. NI recently caught up with Kinchen in his studio as he walked them through the ways he uses Maschine and Traktor to help make his tracks and patented dub mixes.
ManMakeMusic’s second release of the year comes from Londoner Rob Glassett (a.k.a FOLD), a producer best known as one half of rising deep-house duo Homepark. It marks Glassett’s first proper solo release and sees him stepping away from his house roots, albeit only slightly, to experiment with the more melodic ends of late-night techno.
That said, nothing here is exactly a massive departure from either Glassett’s past output or ManMakeMusic’s discography to date. With its icy, repetitive synth stabs and slow-building kick-and-hi-hat beat, “Slime” is perhaps the most drawn-out, minimal thing the label has released—although it still features the same rich vein of melody that the imprint has come to be known for. Style aside, once the track reaches its peak, it’s utterly infectious; the sharp chords of the intro eventually give way to a driving synth pulse, and as the drums build out into crisp claps and a rolling background tom pattern, “Slime” expands into a gorgeous piece of late-night dance music. By contrast, “Moving Patterns” sees Glassett step back into full-blown house territory. Based around a classic, shuffling NY garage rhythm, the track is a swirling, rich, and fairly deep tune in the same vein as ManMakeMusic label boss George FitzGerald‘s best work.
For the final track of the EP, fellow Londoner Tim Hopgood (a.k.a Ethyl) offers up a peculiar yet entirely likeable rework of the a-side. For his version, Hopgood strips the track of its tech-leaning percussion and instead constructs a drum beat out of what sounds like an amalgamation of toy keyboard noises and old jungle samples. The result is a lovely, old-school-leaning cut that replaces the slow-burning quality of Glassett’s original with a warm, lo-fi depth. It rounds-off Slime nicely, cementing the EP as yet another enjoyable package from a label that has quickly established itself as a mark of quality.
Once again, it was a busy week for new bits of audio and video on the internet, and Press Play is here to round up the best of it. Kingdom, Soul Clap, and Bondax are just a handful of the big names who offered up something enjoyable this week, but there are plenty more below. Take a look and start clicking those play buttons.
Thom Yorke doing interpretive dance? It happens in this new Atoms for Peace video for “Ingenue.”
The Soul Clap Records gang is known for its party-starting methods behind the decks, but the label has sent along this video diary as an XLR8R exclusive. It’s a sort of mini-documentary chronicling the crew’s 2012 European tour, and something that proves that the guys are also a lot of fun outside the club. The label’s latest release is an EP from Nick Monaco, which dropped a few weeks back.
Fade to Mind boss Kingdom offered up “Femme Litre,” a new edit combining his own production with the sounds of Joey Beltram and DJ Nakaifma.
R&S-affiliated outfit Vondelpark will soon be releasing its debut LP, and has offered up this Bullion remix of first single “California Analog Dream” in the meantime.
London trio Eaux is relatively unknown, but somehow it convinced the sole surviving member of legendary experimental synth group Silver Apples to remix “Sneaux Flake.”
Hotly tipped UK outfit Bondax unveiled the video for “Gold,” a clip that combines a shower scene with the King Midas story and a scary scene from The Matrix.
Rising Dutch producer Applescal continues to keep busy. Most recently, he’s posted this remix of “200 Words” by indie act Fol Chen.
OL & ¥OIN will soon be releasing a collaborative EP, and have offered up “Sink (Slick Shoota Remix)” as a sort of teaser.
Brooklyn-via-SF artist Jonas Reinhardt announced a new album, Mask of the Maker, which drops in April via Not Not Fun, and is streaming first single “Elimination Street” now.
’90s auteur Locust has returned to the music-making fold, and will soon be releasing You’ll Always Be Safe on Editions Mego. In the meantime, this trippy breakdance video for “Strobes” has emerged.
There’s always room in our playlist for some pristine electronic pop, particularly when it’s as well executed as Vimes’ “House of Deer.”
San Diego’s Television Sky isn’t one to waste any time. The 15-year-old producer born Samuel Ruth started making music years ago, and today, we have “Halfmoon,” taken from his free Chambers EP (which you can grab on Bandcamp). The song centers on melancholy vocals that wind in between layers of rain effects and airy atmospherics. Meanwhile, a thumping rhythm switches between rapid four-to-the-floor bass hits and a jazzy groove highlighted by snaps. Ruth is said to have another EP on the horizon, and we’re curious where the young producer will take his sound to next.
Stockholm’s Axel Boman first joined the Hypercolour camp in 2011, when one of its sister labels, Glass Table, released his Lucky Tiger EP. The year prior, DJ Koze’s Pampa outpost had unleashed “Purple Drank,” marking Boman as an able-handed deep-house talent. Boman’s latest effort, his first EP for Hypercolour proper, takes a more playful and pop-oriented approach to the swirling, moody grooves that have defined his catalog. Even the title, Black Magic Boman, is cheeky, and that lighthearted spirit carries over onto its four tracks.
A cute melody bubbles over a neat house beat on “Cubic Mouth,” and “Look What You’ve Done to Me” sparkles with rustling hi-hats and gentle, enveloping pads. There are no hard edges or grating sounds on the record, only rounded notes and slinky rhythms. On “Television People,” Boman rolls out burbling low frequencies and flickering, disjointed melodies to create a hypnotically head-nodding sense of momentum.
The only unnerving moment occurs on “Cubic Mouth,” when a searing and smooth extended synth tone slices through the song’s twinkling keys, briefly confusing the rhythm. In contrast, “Klinsmann” is the most distinctly pop-oriented tune of the bunch. The combination of watery, reverberated vocals stretched thin over a gentle, rocking beat recalls John Talabot’s collaborations with Pional and makes the song subtly anthemic; the vocals are sweeping but obscured by layers of wispy sound. Compared to the sensual, midnight vibes of “Purple Drank,” it’s a noticeable shift toward traditional songwriting structures, but the change isn’t drastic or upsetting. Instead, it feels like Boman is confidently stretching the limits of his comfort zone without abandoning the gauzy, voluptuous style he’s favored in the past.
Osaka-born, Tokyo-based producer Fujimoto Tetsuro recently sent over “Puddle,” a cut off his recently released Sketches of the Other Tokyo EP. Clearly inspired by classic funk, Fujimoto Tetsuro spotlights chunky slap bass and moody synth riffs while adding a layer of smoothness with breezy overtones. A sultry vocal sample makes this tune especially sensual, but what sounds like static electricity shocks adds a bit of tension to an otherwise serene song.
The Present Tense is the inaugural release from Houndstooth, the new label offshoot of London club Fabric which features Rob Booth—the man behind the consistently on-point Electronic Explorations podcast series—on A&R duties. It comprises four tracks of murky, club-focused techno from Berlin-based producer JR Seaton (a.k.a Call Super), who has previously released impressive, albeit noticeably more electro-leaning, EPs on Five Easy Pieces and Throne Of Blood.
From the get-go, The Present Tense sounds moodier and more adventurous than anything we’ve heard from Call Super before. Here, Seaton does an excellent job of bridging the gap between Actress-style rhythmic experimentation and the type of shadowy floorfillers his native Berlin is known for. “Threshing Floor” is a patchwork of droning synths and metallic noises, built upon the backbone of a propulsive, no-nonsense techno kick. It’s an intricate sonic curiosity full of unexpected layers, yet it packs the sort of low-end punch that would make it a credible addition to a proper eyes-down warehouse set. “Siglo Gray Vision” follows a similar, albeit somewhat toned-down path; again, a relatively straight 4×4 rhythm drives the track, but this time, Seaton builds upon it with delicate percussive noises and an oddly catchy sub-bass lick.
It’s the EP’s two more rhythmically experimental cuts that provide the highlights though. “Leosengor” weaves syncopated reversed drum hits around an understated synth and bass loop. On several occasions, it threatens to break into a more straightforward club beat, only to sink back into rhythmic peculiarity. Closing track “No City Of Choice,” meanwhile, sounds like a melodic dance track that’s been sliced up into loops and then reassembled in a completely random, unpredictable order.
