xxxy Got Me So EP

When he’s at his best, Rupert Taylor (a.k.a xxxy) is easily one of the finest producers operating out of the UK right now. On past highlights like “Ordinary Things,” “This Much,” or the phenomenal “Open Your Eyes,” he displayed an ability to combine wonderfully infectious bursts of melody with plenty of rhythmic creativity and personality. Whether Got Me So is an example of xxxy at his best is, however, debatable. Much like he did on last year’s Everything EP, here Taylor delivers several dancefloor-ready tunes that have been produced with pinpoint precision, but it feels like a little of the character and uniqueness of his earlier work is missing.

That said, “Got Me So” is undoubtedly a skillfully composed and fun club track. As he has on previous outings, Taylor takes a simplistic vocal sample and manages to loop and manipulate it in a way that draws out impressive amounts of energy. Beneath it, the bouncy house bassline drives the track along just as it should, while the colorful synth arpeggios that fade in and out sound crisp and warm. The problem is that when compared to Taylor’s best work, which has always counteracted its pop tendencies with subtly esoteric flourishes, “Got Me So” feels lacking in genuinely distinctive characteristics. The same can be said for b-side “Get Ready”; while Taylor does an unquestionably skillful job of combining a classic 4×4 house beat with subtle hints of UK garage swing, both tracks feel like they come from the nowhere land at the centre of the UK’s current club scene where house beats, garage vocals, and the occasional techno synth all mingle under the frustratingly generic umbrella of ‘bass music.’

Closing track “Studio 9” is by far the highlight of the collection; its drums hit slightly harder, the delayed vocal loop is a little more hypnotic, and thick bursts of synth make the track feel altogether more powerful. In general, it’s a more slow-burning affair, one which is less concerned with pushing the same crossover house buttons as the a-side and instead feels more geared towards late-night raving.

On the whole, it would be unfair to imply that there’s anything necessarily wrong with Got Me So as an EP—there’s plenty to like about each of the tracks here, even if they don’t particularly stand out from the crowd. It’s just that given past form, it feels like we should be expecting more from Taylor, and this release instead feels like more of the same.

Pev & Kowton “Raw Code” b/w “Junked”

From the perspective of media outside the UK, Bristol’s Peverelist and Kowton have been more closely associated with dubstep than certain peers—for instance, the Hessle Audio trifecta of Ben UFO, Pearson Sound, and Pangaea—who came up in the same era, but soon got lumped in with the new vanguard of bass music. Judging from “Raw Code” and “Junked” though, Pev & Kowton have made good use of their time as stranded dub warriors. Lacking the genre-transcending wingspan of Shackleton or the crossover-tempting buzz surrounding the aforementioned Hessle Audio crew, Pev & Kowton burrow further into the neglected dub-science aspect of dubstep, employing a physically tangible sense of experimentalism that gives these tracks their legs.

To start with, there are the flutes. 2012 had a good run of flute tracks with the likes of Portable’s “A Process (Flutramental)” and Maxmillion Dunbar’s “Raw Flute Swing” remix of Suzanne Kraft’s “Feel,” but “Raw Code”—whose main riff will already be familiar to some due to its inclusion in Ben UFO’s Fabriclive 67—saturates the airy, metallic tones with sandpapery analog grit and sets them against raw Electribe banging. It’s not a particularly appealing combination in theory, but it’s a purpose-built meeting ground between Kowton’s stark rhythm tracks and Peverelist’s more colorful excursions. Though it lacks the a-side’s obvious hook, “Junked” has the same creaky heart, as it’s decorated with hi-hats sharp enough to induce winces, and bass drums and toms with a detuned, flatulent edge. Pev & Kowton invest their energy toeing their sounds right up to the edge of dub’s precipitous drop, which imbues this 12″ with a sense of continuity and innovation, sensations that have been conspicuously absent from much of the somewhat deracinated house and techno UK producers have turned to following dubstep’s implosion.

Headshotboyz “Humpback Pappal”

Russian imprint Fuselab—who we highlighted last year as part of our Welcome to… Russia feature—has tapped an outfit from outside of its home country for its latest release, enlisting Hungarian duo Headshotboyz for the six-track Bushcrack Hillz EP. After appearing on labels such as Project Mooncircle and Origami in the past, the pair is said to take a slightly darker turn on its latest offering, which “Humpback Pappal” perfectly illustrates: Gurgling synths and detailed sonic textures rest beneath thick layers of cloudy boom-bap on Headshotboyz’s new tune. The Bushcrack Hillz EP is out now and can be streamed in full after the jump.

Humpback Pappal

Jack Dixon Inaugurates New Label with EP; Hear it Now

Today, Berlin-based producer and Hotflush affiliate Jack Dixon dropped his Those Questions EP as the first release to appear via his new label, White Asega. The six-song EP follows the producer’s solid “E” b/w “Find Shelter” offering from last fall, and came about after his reported battle with insomnia. Dixon is said to mix influences of analog techno with the industrial landscape in which he lives on Those Questions, the results of which make for a collection of songs that seem to be stuck in a dreamlike state—albeit one soaked in house rhythms and uncompromising bass. Below, you can stream Dixon’s brand-new EP; you can also grab a copy for yourself for the price of your choosing on his label’s Bandcamp.

Locked Groove to Drop Two-Part EP for Hotflush, Shares First Single

Belgian producer Locked Groove was one of the more obvious choices to make our Best New Artists of 2012 list after he released three solidly impressive EPs throughout last year. Now, the man has unveiled the details of his first 2013 offering, a “two-part” EP for Hotflush. Returning to the label which released both the artist’s Keep it Simple and Rooted EPs, the forthcoming Heritage collection is said to find Locked Groove persuing a “joining of musical dots between and beyond classic house and techno.” The double-EP, which comes split into two three-track “parts” and clocks in with a runtime over 40 minutes (some might just call that an album), will see an official release on February 25, but before then, you can check out Heritage‘s artwork and tracklist—as well as stream a cut from the record—below.

Part 1
A1 Do it Anyway
B1 Wear it Well

B2 Firefall

Part 2
A1 Nighttime at the Garage
A2 Dream Within a Dream
B1 Lost

Listen to Tycho’s Ulrich Schnauss Remix

Pairing together Ghostly-signed San Francisco producer Tycho with German mood dealer (and recent XLR8R podcast contributor) Ulrich Schnauss (pictured above) is such a no-brainer that we’re having a hard time understanding why this hasn’t happened before. Then again, it has been six years since the veteran artist released any new music that could be remixed, so let’s just say we’re pleased the two ambient-loving artists finally came together on this version of “I Take Comfort in Your Ignorance,” a cut lifted from Schnauss’ brand-new A Long Way to Fall LP. Below, you can stream both the original tune and Tycho’s surprisingly heavy remix in full.

Check Out a New Mix from French Fries

Last month, Paris-based DJ/producer Valentino Canzani Mora (a.k.a. French Fries) announced his forthcoming Everything EP, as well as the first compilation to appear from his own ClekClekBoom label, Paris Club Music Vol. 1. Today, in advance of his takeover of Fabric‘s Room Two on March 1 with Night Slugs co-owner Bok Bok and 50Weapons affiliate Bambounou, French Fries has shared an hour-long mix. Mora’s DJ set is said to “incorporate all of the verve and presence of mind that he’s presented in his career to date,” and draws heavily from ClekClekBoom’s pool of talent—including selections from the likes of Jean Nipon and Manaré, who will also perform with Mora on March 1. You can stream and download French Fries’ new mix and check out its tracklist below.

Eleh – Rotational Change For Windmill [Touch]
Shed – Waved Mind [Ostgut Ton]
French Fries – D’Angelo [ClekClekBoom]
Soundstream – Julie’s Theme [Soundstream]
Kassem Mosse – Staat Aus Glas [Sounds Of The Universe]
Funkineven – Beat Crash [Apron]
Echo 106 – Broken Hihat Machine [Mathematics]
Cowboy Rhythmbox – Shake [Comeme]
French Fries – T.R.A.X.X. ft Chaos In The CBD [CDR]
Manaré – Riddle [ClekClekBoom]
Bambounou – Boarder [50 Weapons]
Alex Cortex – Mem [KilleKill]
Mike Dehnert – MD2.5.2 [MD2]
Oracy – Funk Advice [Mojuba]
French Fries – Yo Vogue VIP [ClekClekBoom]
DJ Deeon – Shouts [Dance Mania]
DJ Milton – Suk The Dik [Dance Mania]
Ben Klock – Red Alert [Deeply Rooted House]
French Fries – Space Ha [CDR]
Clay Davis – Unknown [CDR]
Jean Nipon – Coming At You [ClekClekBoom]
French Fries – White Screen [ClekClekBoom]

Video Premiere: Almighty Sion “The Beat Generation”

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Irish producer Bosco McAlinden has appeared on XLR8R twice before (that we know of, anyway), under his juke-leaning guise CL Moons and his more hip-hop-indebted moniker SertOne, but the guy is far more prolific than those two posts may let on. For instance: The artist’s latest project is a production outfit with Liverpool’s Bolts, called Almighty Sion. The duo is set to release its The Beat Generation album late next month via Original Cultures, but has shared this Feel Good Lost-directed video ahead of time to give us an idea of what’s in store.

The five-and-a-half-minute piece is chock full of found sound and archival footage, both of which have been edited and altered by the featured artists into something altogether fresh and enticing. SertOne’s and Bolts’ nod-worthy production quite directly harkens back to the stripped-down, soulful beatwork of J Dilla—entirely appropriate for this time of year—while director Brendan Canty’s visuals are nostalgic and romantic in equal strides. What’s more: Almighty Sion has also delivered an edit of the title track from Flying Lotus’ most recent LP, which you can stream and download for free below.

R1 Ryders “On My Own”

UK duo R1 Ryders didn’t really pull any punches when it came to naming its latest EP, London Underground, which is out today via Brookyln-based label Party Like Us. The four-track effort embodies the classic, hard-edged sound its title references, offering beefy bass and thick, skittering drum patterns with a crisp, modern production sense. “On My Own” even manages to sneak in touches of string-like synths and glimpses of melodic piano into the dark, dancefloor-aimed style. You can stream the rest of the London Underground EP if you follow the jump.

On My Own

Space Dimension Controller Readies Digital “Teaser” EP

Before Irish producer Space Dimension Controller drops his next full-length album, Welcome to Mikrosector-50, via R&S on March 4, he’s prepared for us a four-track EP which pairs a few non-album cuts with the LP’s title track. According to a press release, the record offers a sort of “director’s cut,” as the music “could be seen as deleted scenes from the full space opera of the album.” Before the digital-only Welcome to Mikrosector-50 EP arrives on February 25, you can check out its artwork and tracklist below.

1. Welcome to Mikrosector-50
2. While I Was Away
3. It’s A Cold Planet Without You
4. Music For Spaceports

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