Stream a New Remix from DJ Harvey

The prolific disco outpost Eskimo has announced the imminent arrival of Eskimonde, a five-disc box set that includes nearly 70 tracks and spans the last decade-plus. The set includes a two-part retrospective of the label’s back catalog, a remix album, and two bonus mixes from Eskimo founders the Glimmers. The compilation includes work from artists such as Morgan Geist, Lindstrøm, Todd Terje, and DJ Harvey, the latter of which has given us the exclusive stream of his contribution to the set, a remix of Dr. Beat’s “Mediterraneo.” The lively track overlays a steady stomp of a beat with clattering drums, a walking bassline, and a bit of guitar shredding to create a full-force groove. After checking out “Miditerraneo (DJ Harvey Remix)” below, you can also find the artwork and full tracklist for the box set before it’s released on November 5.

CD1: Retrospective Part 1:
01. Ilya Santana “Transborder (Letherette Remix)”
02. Hot Toddy feat. Ron Basejam “I Need Love (Morgan Geist’s Love Dub)”
03. Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas “Boney M Down”
04. Aeroplane “Caramellas”
05. Simone Fedi “Bitter Devotion (Ewan Pearson Extended Remix)”
06. Downtown Party Network “Days Like These (Vocal)”
07. Bottin & Rodion “Galli (Give It Up) (Edit)”
08. Hiem “Clubscene Popscene (A Just Us Diskopop Version)”
09. Stratus “Footprints”
10. Reverso 68 “Piece Together (Todd Terje Spinning Star Mix)”
11. Low Motion Disco “Things are Gonna Get Easier (Sebastien Tellier Vocal Remix)”
12. Allez Allez “African Queen (Quiet Village Dub)”

CD2: Retrospective Part 2
01. Low Motion Disco “Love Love Love (Aeroplane Mix)”
02. LSB “Original Highway Delight”
03. Maelstrom “Petrichor”
04. Aeroplane “Without Lies (Breakbot Remix)”
05. Reverso 68 “Tokyo Disko Part 1”
06. In Flagranti “Personal Angst”
07. Visti & Meyland “Yes Ma’am (All Nite Long) (Trentemøller Remix)”
08. Allez Allez “Allez Allez (Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas Remix)”
09. Dance Disorder “My Time (Radio Slave’s Rekids Tribe Mix)”
10. The Neon Judgment “TV Treated (Tiga’s Treated Vox)”
11. The Sexmachines “Okay (Whitey Mix)”

CD3: Remixed
01. Aeroplane “We Can’t Fly (Oliver Remix)”
02. Low Motion Disco “Love Love Love (Solomun Edit)”
03. Kris Menace Presents Stars On 33 “Something You Can Feel (Reverso 68 Remix)”
04. West Phillips “(I’m Just A) Sucker for a pretty Face (Surrender! Remi)”
05. Dirty Minds “I’m for Pleasure (Claptone Remix)”
06. L.H.A.S. INC. “A Feeling (It’s A Fine Line Remix)”
07. Aeroplane “I Don’t Feel (Deetron Remix)”
08. Dr. beat From San Sebastian “Mediterraneo (DJ Harvey Remix)”
09. Blende “Fake Love (The Living Islands Tropical Doom Dub)”
10. Jean Winner “Alive and Kicking (Zimmer Remix)”
11. Drop Out Orchestra “Sun Machine (diskJokke Remix)”
12. Allez Allez “African Queen (Moonlight Matters “I Love Grace Jones” Remix)

CD4: Bonus Mix
01. The Glimmers “Mo’s Selection”

CD5: Bonus Mix 2
01. The Glimmers “Dave’s Slection”

Sepalcure’s Praveen Sharma Releases Solo LP

Praveen Sharma has stepped outside of his bass- and house-oriented projects to release 12 Lights, a full-length effort he says is “not dance music at all.” The Brooklyn-based producer, who may be best known for his collaborations with Machinedrum (a.k.a. Travis Stewart) as Sepalcure, has also teamed up with Kranky‘s Benoît Pioulard (a.k.a. Thomas Meluch) under the apt moniker Praveen & Benoît and released lush, bass-heavy house sounds as Braille, but says he’s been recording “unashamedly emotive and melancholic” tracks throughout the course of the past three years. 12 Lights, which was available exclusively to members of Ghostly‘s Drip.fm music service earlier this year, is the sum of those recordings and the first record Praveen has released under his given name since 2005. The album is now available publicly via Brooklyn label Supermartyr; you can preview one its Benoît Pioulard-featuring tracks below.

Ableton Officially Announces Live 9, Unveils Push Controller

Not to toot our own horn or anything, but XLR8R sent ripples across the internet earlier this week when we shared a “leaked” video showcasing some features on the forthcoming Ableton Live 9. The video wasn’t exactly official, but have no fear, the folks at Ableton have gone ahead and confirmed that the latest version of its DAW will finally arrive at the beginning of 2013. The announcement also came with word of the software company’s first piece of hardware, a controller called Push.

Both forthcoming products boast a bevy of upgrades and features, which are too numerous to outline in complete detail here. Suffice it to say that Live 9 arrives with improvements to the automation functionalities, a more efficient built-in browser, brand-new stock effects (including the Glue Compressor we saw in the aforementioned video), a new version of Max for Live that comes with Live 9 Suite, and much more. Pricing for Live 9 starts at $99 for the Intro version, with the Suite coming in at $749.

As for the controller, Push is described as a “hardware instrument designed to solve an old problem: how to make a song from scratch.” Utilizing 64 velocity- and pressure-sensitive pads in conjunction with 11 touch-sensitive, “endless” knobs, the machine is touted as being able to make quick work out of producing with its “folded” keyboard arranged across color-coordinated pads, streamlined button layout, portable-but-durable structure, and seamless integration with Live 9. Push, which will arrive around the same time as the new Live, also comes with a copy of Ableton Live 9 Intro, which—at the cost of $599—is kind of a steal for anyone getting started with music production.

What’s more, Live 8 is now on sale! So, if you just can’t wait until next year, you can hit Ableton’s shop to score its most current DAW at 25% off the usual price, which also comes with a free upgrade to 9 as soon as it’s released. Now that you’ve digest all of that information, you can check out a couple of teaser videos for each of Ableton’s forthcoming new products below.

Aki Latvamäki “It Is Not Now Either (Max Cooper Pseudologue)”

Aki Latvamäki has his It Is Not Now Either EP set to drop via Halocyan next month, but in the meantime, we have one of the remixes of the title track form prolific techno DJ/producer and recent XLR8R podcast contributor Max Cooper. Latvamäki’s original is quite a production, with hand claps and a tambourine keeping time alongside funky bass slaps before the tune ends in a flurry of lasers and melodic keys. While Max Cooper retains the original’s energy, he minimizes the noise, opting for deep, oscillating synths and simple, skittering hi-hats. Spacey drip-drops add welcome atmosphere to Cooper’s glittering and warped club vibe. It Is Not Now Either drops on November 13 as a three-track 12″ that includes a “Sub Dub” remix from Cooper, with the digital package also offering this “Pseudologue” version and a remix from Japanese newcomer Atsushi Shimomura.

It is Not Now Either (Max Cooper Pseudologue)

Watch Part Two of Scion AV’s Todd Edwards Interview

Following up on the first installment of Todd Edwards‘ talk with Scion AV, which we premiered yesterday, here is the second and final part of that interview. In this video, Edwards discusses his preference for DJing with physical records over digital formats, working with French producer Surkin on their collaborative I Want You Back EP, and how moving from New Jersey to LA has inspired him to spend more time in the studio.

Hi, Doctor Nick! – Holding Down a Job, Promoting Your Music the Right Way, and Weird Hip-Hop

Simply put, Nick Hook is the man. Every Thursday, he drops all sorts of knowledge on the XLR8R massive, answering questions about music, production, gear, travel, fashion, romance, and living life. (Those looking for assistance are welcome to send a query his way at doctornick@xlr8r.com.) This time around, he’s tackling the precarious balance between music and work, how artists can most effectively promote their music, and explaining why people with eccentric tastes (usually) have nothing to worry about.

Hi Doctor Nick,
Are many independent musicians you come across able to sustain themselves exclusively through their musical exploits, or is it common for them to work another job to support themselves?
Ben

I’m all for having a job. It lets you do what you want and you don’t have to do really wack shit just to tell people you make music for a living. And let’s be honest here, I’ve seen a lot of people invest 100% of their everything into just saying they do music, and one day it all ends, and they are fucked. Even if you are bartending or stocking a shelf somewhere, you are probably making new contacts that are completely separate from your music.

On the other hand, I think the real move is to just work enough so that you’re supporting yourself, but still have enough time to focus on creating. That takes time and energy and you have to adhere to it at all times. I’ve done so much weird shit in my life to make money. I probably shouldn’t talk about it here—my mom reads this—but yeah, go in.

Shit. I have a job. I’m an advice columnist.

Hi Doctor Nick,
I am facing the phase where I make tons of great music, but need help in trying to get it out there without looking like a spammer or a hard sell. I give my stuff away for free, but I don’t seem to ever grab blogs’ or artists’ attention.
Wiggz

Keep making it. Keep sending it. People are gonna hear about it if they need to. I don’t know where you live, but go out every night. Give it to motherfuckers, especially while you are both high and drunk (a.k.a. where real relationships start. Sorry straight-edge fools, but it’s true). Then drink mad water before you go to bed, get up at 9:30 a.m., and make more music. No one wants a hard sell. That’s creepy, terrifying, and makes me never wanna leave my house ever again. To be honest though, fuck a blog. Build a community. Start your own party. If the shit is that different, people will come. That’s where it all started: everyone rejecting us, and us forcing you to believe in it. No one really ever took me seriously, but I kept doing my thing. Then Drop the Lime asked me to play live with him, L-Vis 1990 asked me to help him make some shit, and all of a sudden, everyone fucked with me. Then it happened with El-P and Azealia, and now people think I know what I’m doing or something. Funny joke. I guess part of our job is playing the game. Just keep growing and learning. It’ll all happen the way it should if you are going for a long career. We can let all the other cats switch from genre to genre.

Hi Doctor Nick,
As an avid listener and creator of experimental electronic and explorer of the strangest sides of hip-hop, I feel like my listening material has been getting progressively stranger. Now it has hit the point where the only things I currently listen to that have a chance of being liked by a normal person are rare Timbaland grooves from the ’90s. How do I stop this spiral of eccentricity, or should I just accept it?
Quinn

I’m kinda with it. If you end up bringing girls back to the crib, at least you got some good shit to put on while you cook them dinner. Just don’t be that dude who thinks we suck when are standing on top of a table with our shirt off listening to Tupac. I feel you though. I dunno, I’m all for the weirdest of weird, but in the right environment. It can’t hurt to try new things though. Brian Eno made these cards, Oblique Strategies, that I think everyone should know about. Fuck with those. It’s fun.

By the way, I’m hungover at the airport. I can’t believe this is my eighth week and I’m not fired yet. I hope everyone is enjoying this as much as me. I’m heading to Europe. Come fuck with me. Vienna/Berlin/Paris/London—you can find me if you try. And cop my record: www.scionav.com/nickhook. (Perks of the job. Hahaha!)

K. I’m out. xo

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.

My Dry Wet Mess “Berlin Stereo Hands”

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from the now-Berlin-based producer My Dry Wet Mess, but we’re pleased to share that he will soon release his Stereo Typing LP via Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder imprint. In the album’s opening track, “Berlin Stereo Hands,” the artist born Giovanni Civitenga flawlessly fuses live guitars into a busy sonic landscape of live drums, playful electronic bursts, and a racing, winding melody—culminating in a tune that fits in perfectly at the Brainfeeder camp. In a press release, Civitenga said of the album, “It’s got this hard-to-de?ne quality to it, a sense of ‘future nostalgia’ that I love and that I ?nd extremely appropriate for my music and the ideas behind it.” The rest of Stereo Typing will be ready on November 13, but you can check out the album art and tracklist now, after the jump.

Berlin Stereo Hands
Austere Coincidences
When We Were Wrong
Words I Didn’t
Lick
Mombasa Tutu
Clappin’ Ears
A Wrong Number
My Warped Tits
Bullshit Indeed
Glue and the Love in It
Nowhere Now
Prismas (feat. Eva Puyuelo)
Youth Reboot

Berlin Stereo Hands

Norman Nodge Berghain 06

Lawyer by day and Berghain resident by night, to say Norman Nodge leads an interesting life would be an understatement. In his nightlife guise, he’s one of the less visible members of the Ostgut family, only periodically releasing records and frequently taking the role of the club’s opening DJ. This isn’t for lack of experience; born in the GDR, he got his start right after reunification and was, by his own account, a musical mentor for fellow Easterners Marcel Dettmann and Marcel Fengler. Berghain 06, his turn in the club’s lauded series of sonic communiques, plays off the breadth of his experience while also demonstrating the way in which nights at the Friedrichshain power station unfold in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Unsettling while simultaneously soothing, Birds Two Cage’s “Gase” kicks off a three-song passage that opens the mix, spreading out from a creepy ambient industrial atmosphere into a comfortable stretch of looping but muted techno. Sliding through the metallic churn of Patrick Gräser’s “From Foreign Territories” and the aimless elastic acid of Hauntologists’ “Untitled (B1),” Nodge takes his time as he descends into a maintained pocket that feels more mentally hypnotic than physically affecting. Once he’s arrived, Nodge doesn’t play with intense dynamics, instead preferring to grind various rhythms together—the gears of each track connecting for a stretch before separating into new percussive landscapes.

Now approaching top gear, Jeff Mills’ “Keeping of the Kept” signals the entry into the heart of the mix. Stripped down, it’s a runaway TR-909 speeding straight ahead, its forward momentum punctuated only once by the unsettling chord of a synthesized string ensemble. Meshing up with Silent Servant’s “Untitled (A1),” Nodge doesn’t skip a minute as he drifts deeper through hisses of heavily degraded magnetic tape towards the full-bore drive of DJ T-1000’s “Metra.” From here on, it’s all shades of nuance within the broader picture, as nothing pops out on its own; instead, the individual pieces just add little touches. Architectural’s “Looking Ahead” throws some melody in the mix, Tim Taylor & DJ Slip’s “New York Minds” is a rare—and comparatively old-school—moment with vocals, Chancellor’s “Roundabouts” lends some muscle, and El Gato #9’s “Coefficient of Friction (Monty Luke Black Catalogue Remix)” throws a nod towards Detroit.

The mix’s only unexpected moment comes at the end. Just as Radioactive Man’s “Nasty Radio” seems to be resettling the mix into an almost downtempo groove, it fades out into Legowelt’s remix of Xosar’s “Rainy Day Juno Jam.” Upholding a lo-fi aesthetic dictated by the imprecise sequencing of the human hand, it stands in stark contrast to the mechanization of what came prior. Squiggling Juno leads and meandering electric piano play out like loose loops within a tank of heavy reverb while she sings wordless melodies in a style that falls somewhere between darkwave and 4AD. It’s an odd choice, but one that ends the mix in a way that’s hard to forget.

Berghain 06 is as subtle and subdued as the man behind it, and while that might mean it’s not as flashy as some of the previous entries, that’s hardly a reflection on the mix itself. In the best sense possible, it feels like an expertly crafted warm-up set, the kind of rare performance that, though it might not be the main event, is absolutely necessary for the stability of the whole 24-hour party. In this way, it’s another excellent mix in the Berghain series, and presents a side of the club that has so far been less officially documented.

Fancy Mike “Mary B. James”

Fancy Mike, who was the first artist to sign to Canadian imprint King Deluxe back in 2010, dropped his latest LP, Mary B. James, just this week, and has shared the title track off that album to mark the occasion. Although Fancy Mike describes the music as “Midwest minimal,” “Mary B. James” radiates tropical heat from elements that don’t quite bring to mind corn fields—like, say, the steel drums and clattering percussion which dance alongside buttery synth swells and subdued bass tones. You can hear more of the stripped-down and summery vibes from Fancy Mike’s Mary B. James record, after the jump.

Mary B. James

Fatima Al Qadiri Desert Strike EP

Whether she’s operating as Ashay or under her own name, Fatima Al Qadiri often doesn’t seem keen to make music that is easy to digest. However, as last year’s Genre-Specific Xperience EP proved, when Al Qadiri filters her vast bank of artistic and musical influences through the world of “club music,” she is more than capable of striking a balance that makes for an equally challenging and alluring product. Her latest offering, the Desert Strike EP, is as likely to unveil hidden melodic twists, unexpected percussive turns, and videogame-like gunshot FX as its predecessor, but with a new focus on slower tempos and more spacious electronic music.

It’s difficult to tell if the layers of vocal-like tones that appear on each of the EP’s five tracks are manipulations of Al Qadiri’s own voice or some choral keyboard patches, but there is no denying the vital role these vocal tones play on Desert Strike. As the rhythmic elements here are left fairly wide open, usually coalescing into halftime patterns, various manipulated “oohs” and “ahhs” fill in the spaces, forming thick chords on songs like “Oil Well”or sprightly melodies on the opening “Ghost Raid.” In doing so, these layers give the EP a somewhat uneasy feel, serving as either the source of a particular song’s eeriness or alternately providing a touch of angelic air to the procession, depending on what they are paired along with. In the case of the EP’s title track, it’s a menacing combination of deep bass notes, and on the record’s standout tune, “War Games,” a slippery synth melody is employed.

Al Qadiri’s penchant for finding the peculiar pockets between these various moods and genres is largely what makes her beats so intriguing. While the selections here do land at a place that’s not too far from the tropical-tinged bass of Fade to Mind associate Nguzunguzu, there is an extra emphasis on melody and a tendency towards a new-age-influenced sonic palette to be heard on Al Qadiri’s own refracted productions. Atop her choppy, bass-loaded rhythms, she continues to unravel an intriguing combination of styles and influences that bring a unique perspective to club music, one that’s at least bound to turn heads, and in some cases, suit adventurous dancefloors.

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