This Week in Music Tech: Inside Teebs’ Studio, Faderfox UC3, Bleep Drum, Traktor App, and Maschine Contest

Some interesting and rather compact new gear was introduced to the world this week courtesy of Faderfox and Bleep Labs, while Native Instruments hinted at a forthcoming Traktor app for iPad. Meanwhile, XLR8R visited Teebs’ SoCal bedroom studio and teamed up with Native Instruments to give away 10 custom Maschines. Catch up with all of that business and more in this week’s music tech wrap-up.

On XLR8R this week:

– Earlier this week, XLR8R headed south to pay a visit to Brainfeeder affiliate Teebs, who showed us around his bedroom studio and chatted about his production process when working solo and collaborating with Prefuse 73 on their joint project Sons of the Morning. You can check out the full piece on the LA-based producer and his home studio here.

– Also this week, XLR8R teamed up with Native Instruments in order to give away 10 of NI’s Maschine, a hardware sampler/groove sequencer/multi-faceted production unit. To enter the contest, simply head to Maschine’s Facebook page, give it a “like,” and enter your email. The 10 winners will be chosen at random and notified next Tuesday, February 12, so don’t sleep on this one.

New compact toys from Faderfox and Bleep Labs; and is Traktor for iPad on its way?:

– The German MIDI controller designers Faderfox have added a new compact unit to its line this week—introducing the UC3 Universal Controller, a device its maker is calling the “Swiss army knife of controllers.” The new controller comes with eight push encoders and nine faders, all of which can be used throughout eight different groups, yielding a lot of potential control from such a compact device. Plus the UC3 boasts plenty of other useful features, such as the ability to be connected directly to an iPad using a camera connection kit. You can read up on the full details here.

– Austin’s Bleep Labs—who you may remember as the creator the Dam-Drum—introduced the Bleep Drum this week, a miniature drum machine very similar to its Dâm-Funk-inspired predecessor. The Bleep Drum is set to be available as a $60 DIY kit (owners will have to do their own soldering) or as a completed unit for $85, starting in April.

– Yes, the photo above is indeed turntabilist pioneer DJ Qbert holding an iPad; nothing too special, right? However, what is particularly interesting about this photo is that it appeared on the Facebook page of NI’s Traktor, thereby serving as the first hint of a forthcoming Traktor iPad app. No specific details have been released, but the company says it will share more information in the next few weeks about its newest iPad adventure.

If you feel like getting really nerdy with your MIDI:

– Last month’s NAMM conference was not just for gorging on new gear and shiny musical toys, it was also a place to share knowledge and insight about where the worlds of technology and music production meet. One such opportunity came in the form of a panel on MIDI, comprising Dave Smith, Tom Oberheim, Alan Parsons, Jordan Rudess, George Duke, and Craig Anderton. Over the course of 90 minutes, the panel discussed the past, present, and future of MIDI, all of which was captured by Future Music. It’s not exactly the most enthralling 90 minute video around, but for those wishing to gain an in-depth knowledge of MIDI, the insight and topics covered are invaluable.

Moon Bounce “Arcade”

Philadelphia-based artist Corey Regensburg (a.k.a. Moon Bounce), who you may remember from his starring role in the entertaining video for “Telephone” from last year, is back with a cut from his recently released Wheelhouse EP. Sputtering beats and a clumsy bassline haphazardly lurch about alongside chopped vocal samples and spacey FX for the first half of “Arcade”—that is, before its engine really gets going. A jazzy melody painted with acidic overtones takes the wheel for the remainder of the tune, working out a syncopated groove of handclaps and video game noises. And after you get your fill of “Arcade,” you can listen to the rest of Moon Bounce’s Wheelhouse EP after the jump.

Arcade

Matthew Dear Fighting is Futile Remixes

It’s a shame that Matthew Dear‘s career has continued to stray further and further away from the dancefloor—while his latter-day role as a post punk-informed, ostensibly pop bandleader has yielded some intermittently fantastic results, Dear was arguably at his best when marrying the accessibility of funk and pop to the rhythmic creativity of Detroit techno. As such, the concept of a Matthew Dear remix package, dragging things back in a more club-orientated direction, is always appealing. In all honesty, the original “Fighting Is Futile” was one of the weaker moments on Dear’s recent Beams LP—what potential the song had was lost amidst a cluttered arrangement and some unnecessarily jarring instrumentation—so it’s pleasing to repeatedly find the track’s building blocks reconstructed into something altogether more refined across the course of this four-track release.

In truth, the four reworkings on offer here are a mixed bag, ranging from inspired moments of dancefloor pop to clumsy reimaginings that seem short on inspiration. Bulgarian experimentalist KiNK’s take on the track has a lot of positives going for it, but still ends up feeling like something of a missed opportunity. The remix starts well, stripping the track down to a Krautrock-like bass loop and kick drum, supplemented by a hanging synth chord that slowly builds in tension, but KiNK seems to lose control of the composition halfway through, bailing out on the driving rhythm and letting the whole thing get lost in a mess of glitchy synth noises. Meanwhile, the offering from Danish duo Laid Back, which closes the set, is downright awkward; it’s a lumbering work of sexless synth funk that drains the energy out the original while amping up its shortcomings.

Fortunately, the remaining two remixes are both on point. Seth Troxler‘s version effectively does exactly what one wants it to; he strips the clutter from the original song and instead dwells on the pleasantly atmospheric chords of the intro, adding in layers of melodic synth lines and fixing the whole thing around a reassuringly straightforward house beat. It’s not exactly groundbreaking, but it’s both rhythmically and melodically infectious enough to live up to Troxler’s dancefloor pedigree. It’s DC/Berlin duo Benoit & Sergio that offers up the best take on the track, however. The pair’s “Fighting Is Futile” replaces the churning funk of the original with something far more melodic and subtle. It’s eight minutes of wonderfully retro-tinged piano house, layered out with atmospheric filtered vocals and powered along by a captivating bass riff. Thankfully, these two club-friendly reworkings are more than enough to make the whole package a totally worthwhile endeavor.

Sunshine feat. Louise Burns “French Exit (Jeremy Glenn Remix)”

Vancouver band Sunshine is treated to a remix here from Toronto’s Jeremy Glenn, who blends equal parts UK funky and glowing, Italo-flecked disco sounds on his version of “French Exit.” Glenn throws everything from the original track right out the window, save for the basic melodies hiding somewhere in that running bassline; the vocals are shuffled and tossed up into the air, coming down only to melt with the synthwork that gradually fades into the mix. “French Exit (Jeremy Glenn Remix)” follows a heavy string of EPs from the producer in the past two years, and brings word of a forthcoming album slated to appear in the earlier part of 2013.

French Exit ft. Louise Burns (Jeremy Glenn Remix)

French Exit (Jeremy Glenn Remix)

Alex Coulton Adventures in 4×4

Mancunian wunderkind Alex Coulton has amassed a formidable discography while still in his teens. His crisp, subby palette draws to mind UK funky and assorted tech-house, but is generally thrown way out of normality by his proclivity for breaking up tracks with disjointed swings. If there’s a closer analog, it’s his brother Jack’s project Szare (in spite of the group’s communist, fourth-world bent), as that outfit operates with a similar, grimly rolling charge. Although Coulton is adored by a host of adventurous heads, there is an underlying functionality to his work, and this is more evident than ever on Adventures in 4×4, his debut for Hypercolour’s HypeLTD sub-label. As its title suggests, it’s a sort of limited exploration.

It’s unclear whether Coulton actually sought to limit himself here, but the remarkable coiled ferocity of earlier tracks like “Baraki” or last year’s “Bounce” is nowhere to be found. The tracks on Adventures in 4×4 find him playing to a different audience altogether. “Dance, Max” is relatively traditionalist, as its stabbed-out organ melody is redolent of so much ’90s house. Modern touches still remain in the melody’s eventual pitch twisting and the overall sense of space, but it generally sounds like the work of someone else. Coulton’s signature swing emerges more forcefully on “Submerged,” though it’s weighted down by the track’s echo-chamber chords, and never really comes to the fore. “Function” shows a similar compromise. Its stiffly frantic skip and stabbed out melody are efficient, if a little unremarkable, but the bulbous bass hits that sporadically poke out give it a lift. The EP’s finale, “Fade Realization,” is the best piece here, showcasing the bare percussiveness that has endeared Coulton to the Bristol scene. Sounding like Peverelist, or perhaps A Made Up Sound, “Fade Realization” hones in on a sparsely stepping rhythm, which is cut with reverses and bass drops. It’s buffered with rubbery, dubby chords that alternate between clipped hesitance and full drone, as well as a smattering of woozier, higher notes. The track is almost imposingly angular at first, but one pictures it working wonders as a fissure in a mix. On the whole, though, Coulton’s retreat toward more tested motifs is not especially promising. One hopes he won’t abandon his roots altogether.

Shigeto Offers ‘Beats 4 Dilla’ Package as Free Download

No stranger to beatmaking himself, Ghostly artist Shigeto took to his SoundCloud account to upload a package of nine tracks he’s called Beats 4 Dilla, offering them all as a free download. “This set was curated and inspired by J Dilla’s constant integration of countless genres and relentless output,” writes the artist born Zach Saginaw before going on to describe the tracks as “unfinished,” “raw,” “uncut,” and “made in one hour or less.” Most of the music was produced as a collaboration with artists like Mux Mool and Devonwho, and ranges from the ethereally jazzy to the abrasively ominous. You can stream and download all of Shigeto’s Beats 4 Dilla for free, below.

Julio Bashmore and Hyetal Ready Collaborative Single; Hear It Now

As individual producers, Julio Bashmore and Hyetal sport impressive resumes of deep house and techno releases that are immediately infectious and endearing; together as Velour, they are of a whole different breed, specializing in a predominantly funky strain of beatmaking. Released in 2010, the Velvet Collection EP for UK outpost Night Slugs was a sudden left turn in the label’s catalogue at the time, as it boasted mostly warm, analogue synths and stuttering 909 claps. Velour’s new single, “Speedway” b/w “Dial,” eschews some of the party vibes that Velvet offered, and instead favors a cool, lean sonic landscape and freeform, jamming synth work. Before Bashmore’s own Broadwalk label drops the 12″ on March 4, you can stream both “Speedway”—which we’ve experienced in video form before—and “Dial” in full below, where you’ll also find Velour’s slow-grooving remix of “Fallin’ Love” by BenZel. (via FACT)

Little Big Orchestra “Green Piano”

Up-and-coming Barcelonian label Good Ratio just sent over this track plucked from the Experiment 626 EP, the debut release by Little Big Orchestra. “Green Piano” finds the enigmatic Spanish producer coasting freely over a bed of soft basslines, layers of foggy bell patterns, and chopped & screwed vocals. Though Little Big Orchestra is a fresh name on XLR8R, his sounds resonate as something strong and meditated, reminiscent to those we’ve come to expect from the Brainfeeder collective. The Experiment 626 EP drops on March 18, accompanied by two choice remixes from Vienna house maestro Tin Man.

Green Piano

Bambounou Preps New EP for 50Weapons

Bambounou does not want to slow down. Barely four months after the release of Orbiting, his debut album for the satisfyingly consistent 50Weapons imprint, the Parisian maestro is already set to drop a new EP, called Full of Feelings. Though he began to make moves in 2010, Bambounou seemed to really strike new ground last year, combining electro-indebted arrangements with loads of deep sub frequencies and anxious rhythms, a concoction not unlike that of label brethren Cosmin TRG and A Made Up Sound—albeit with a more lovelorn focal point. News of the Full of Feelings EP also follows the announcement of Bambounou’s inclusion on the forthcoming ClekClekBoom compilationParis Club Music Vol. 1, and arrives with just a tiny taste of its lead tune, “Filled,” before it hits the streets on March 15. You can check out the snippet along with the EP’s tracklist below. (via Juno Plus)

1. Filled
2. Brim
3. Boarder

Deadbeat to Release “Endless” Single

Longstanding Berlin-based dub-techno wizard Deadbeat—who, incidentally, gave XLR8R an excellent podcast late last year—is no stranger to pushing his sound well past its breaking point. But on his new single, The Infinity Dubs Vol. 1, the producer born Scott Monteith is doing the opposite: His new tracks end on locked grooves, causing them to theoretically go on into infinity. Consisting of only two tracks aptly named “ID1” and “ID2″, Deadbeat’s forthcoming 12” switches up his sound in a big way, incorporating more old-school garage and hardcore techno influences than before and filling in the corners of his normally sparse sound palette. This is the first release by Deadbeat after last year’s solid Eight LP, and will arrive as the first part of an ongoing series on March 11 via his own BLKRTZ imprint.

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