Stream Nautiluss’ New EP for Turbo

Today, we’re treated to the latest offering from Canadian artist Nautiluss, a massive four-track EP for Tiga’s increasingly solid Turbo label. Habitat arrives just under six months from the Toronto-based producer’s first solo outing, ?lpha (you can stream that here), and finds him working with a harder-edged, grittier brand of techno, while still maintaining his previous EP’s inherent funkiness. You can stream Nautiluss’ formidable new record exclusively on XLR8R, after the jump.

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Headshotboyz “Sweet Cabbages”

Featuring thick bassy overtones with the consistency of toothpaste and minty fresh melodies that fall haphazardly over its clattering beats, “Sweet Cabbages,” the title track off the forthcoming record by Budapest duo Headshotboyz, is more refreshing than its name may suggest. Sweet Cabbages is a collaborative four-track EP between Headshotboyz and Svetlana Industries affiliate Polyklinik, and will be released as a 7″ and digital package in late November via their hometown label 8ounce. In the meantime, you can watch the absolutely strange video for “Sweet Cabbage”—featuring bursts of toothpaste, lemon juice, chocolate milk, cleaning supplies, lighter fluid, and anything else that will readily shoot out of a container—after the jump.

Sweet Cabbages

Free Magic & JKriv Catalano EP

Even after decades of exploration by hungry producers, some styles of music somehow manage to still sound fresh. Soul-infused, disco-influenced house is one such strain, and when it’s done properly, the music can be just as irresistible as it was 10, 15, or 20 years ago. Fortunately, the third record from New York’s fledging Discovery label (which sprouted from the long-running party of the same name) showcases two producers largely doing it right.

Free Magic and JKriv (two of Discovery’s four residents) do not appear to be sheepish about their admiration of the various genres which lie at the roots of house—funk, disco, soul, and a bit of jazz among them. All three tracks on the Catalano EP incorporate live (or at least live-sampled) elements from these genres—the title track with funky guitar and reworked vocals, “Headbands” laying down jumping piano chords and another helping of soulful voices, and the closing “Night Braces” featuring a disarming organ solo. Of course, there’s also plenty of hand percussion to be heard at just about any point in each tune. In truth, the production pair comes rather close to venturing too deep into these influences, treading close enough to lounge-style kitsch that some listeners will likely be turned off. But for those willing to withstand a little cheese, the record has plenty to offer. In fact, the EP’s lack of seriousness may even work to its advantage, helping distinguish it from the current crop of meditative blog-house that seems to be around every corner. Despite whatever lack of “originality” one may find on the Catalano EP, it’s hard to deny both Free Magic and JKriv have a genuine house spirit coursing through their veins.

Still, beyond whatever this EP may say about the current state of NY house music (other than that some people are still clearly in it for the fun), it’s worth noting that all three of its efforts are especially well crafted. Particularly good is the closing “Night Braces,” a track which—if you ignore its playfully aimless organ solo—is the most modern-sounding effort on the EP, complete with a slight skip, thick bassline, and hefty chord stabs. In combination with the record’s other two offerings, it nicely wraps up what is ultimately a rather inviting record.

Spectrum Spools to Release Second LP from Forma

Though the group hasn’t previously appeared on XLR8R, we’ve quietly admired the synth-wielding Brooklyn trio Forma since it released its self-titled debut LP last year via the Emeralds-affiliated Editions Mego imprint Spectrum Spools. As such, we’re happy to discover that the ambient-leaning outfit will be doing so once again, with its second album dropping next month. The 10-track OFF/ON LP is said to “combine swirling arpeggiations, gnarled sequences, and deconstructed Motorik rhythms to conjure an atmosphere of entropic propulsion by unseen forces”; the arsenal of gear used to create those sounds looks even more impressive, as it includes machines like Roland’s TR-707 and 606, Moog’s Prodigy and Little Phatty, an Oberheim SEM, a Yamaha CS-15, and more. You can check out the tracklist and artwork for Forma’s OFF/ON before it arrives on November 12, below.

1. OFF
2. FORMA313
3. FORMA278
4. FORMA286B
5. FORMA306C
6. MÉCANIQUE
7. FORMA339/333
8. FORMA293
9. FORMA358
10. FORMA315

Teen Daze “Discipleship”

Slowly but surely, Teen Daze has been leaking track after track from his forthcoming second LP of 2012, The Inner Mansions, the latest of which is “Discipleship,” a track representing the more upbeat side of the album. To be sure, ample rich texture and light drum patterings are slathered on to the Canadian artist’s new tune, effectively maintaining his penchant for euphoric dream-pop. Look for the rest of Teen Daze’s The Inner Mansions album when it’s released on November 6 via Lefse.

Discipleship

DJ Spinn to Release New ‘Teklife’ LP via Lit City

As its follow up to the XLR8R Pick’d Teklife Vol. 1: Welcome to the Chi LP by DJ Rashad, Chicago label Lit City (which is actually run in part by DJs Rashad and Spinn) will release DJ Spinn‘s Teklife Vol. 2: What You Need later this month. FACT reports that the 10-track offering is scheduled to appear on October 23, complete with solo productions from DJ Spinn and plenty of collaborations with DJ Rashad and DJ Manny. You can check out the artwork and tracklist for Teklife Vol. 2: What You Need, as well as preview its opening track, below.

1. DJ Spinn & DJ Rashad – She Turnt Up

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2. DJ Spinn, DJ Rashad & DJ Manny – Horn Chemist
3. DJ Spinn & DJ Rashad – Let Me Baby
4. DJ Spinn – Dey Comin
5. DJ Spinn & DJ Manny – Do My Dance
6. DJ Spinn & DJ Manny – Dance Floor Packed
7. DJ Spinn & DJ Rashad – Mercy
8. DJ Spinn & DJ Manny – Over There (Gettin’ It)
9. DJ Spinn – 4 A $5 Bag
10. DJ Spinn & DJ Manny – What You Need

Video Premiere: Dntel “Breakwater”

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Here’s cutesy bit of DIY footage for the new song “Breakwater” by multifaceted producer and dublab radio host Jimmy Tamborello, operating as Dntel. As the whimsical and woozy synth-pop sounds play on, we watch trippy visuals of a young ghost traveling over the ocean and encountering a hungry shark, Dntel himself sailing the open seas, and a gnarly lightning storm. Tamborello’s track is taken from dublab’s massive forthcoming comp, Light from Los Angeles, which also features tunes from the likes of Ras G, Teebs, Sun Araw, Suzanne Kraft, Butchy Fuego, Swatson Klank, and more. Look for that whole offering to drop on October 23.

Ital Tek Announces New Album, US Tour

Brighton’s Ital Tek returns once again to Planet Mu with word of a new full-length album, called Nebula Dance, and a quick US tour following its release. The young producer is reportedly building from the material heard on last year’s Gonga EP, exploring higher tempos than his early work throughout the new LP’s 12-song tracklist. Nebula Dance drops on October 23, but in the meantime, you can watch a video for a preview of the title track, check out the tracklist for Ital Tek’s album, and look over the dates for his upcoming coast-to-coast tour, below. You can also listen to more snippets of Nebula Dancehere.

1. Nebula Dance
2. Pixel Haze
3. Dusk Beat
4. Intercruise
5. Steel Sky
6. Glokk
7. Solar Sail
8. In Motion
9. Gonga
10. Discontinuum
11. Human Version
12. Yesterday Tomorrow Today

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11-6: Phoenix Landing, Boston, MA
11-7: Kung-Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA
11-8: Smartbar, Chicago, IL
11-9: 1015 Folsom, San Francisco, CA
11-10: World Famous Productions, Arcata Theater, Arcata, CA
11-13: Sub.Mission, Cervantes Other Side, Denver, CO
11-16: Bass Church, The Fillmore, Charlotte, NC
11-17: Broken Teeth, Ran Tea House, Brooklyn, NY
11-19: Deep Space, Cielo, New York, NY

Benjamin Damage “Swarm” b/w “Headache”

On his latest 12″, Benjamin Damage fully lives up to his namesake. Delivering two massive tunes completely stripped of the moody gloss which defined They!Live—his full-length effort with frequent collaborator Doc Daneeka—”Swarm” and “Headache” signal a new twist on the producer’s talent, succesfully turning his focus towards more powerful dancefloor workouts.

Without question, Damage’s run has been a little hard to follow over the past few years. Nevertheless, the Berlin-based Welshman has proven capable of applying his talents to various slants within the bass-minded dance-music spectrum, impressively sounding at home within all of them. Perhaps the most memorable of these ventures was 2011’s “Creeper,” an absolute tune Damage penned alongside Daneeka (a later version of which also appeared on the pair’s aforementioned joint LP). In some respects, “Swarm” feels like it’s focused on the Damage side of “Creeper,” repurposing the song’s forcefulness and heavy-bodied drums. But where “Creeper” relied on slippery synths and post-everything-style textures, “Swarm” delves into tenser sonic territory, leading with a distortion-tinged sequence—one informed by Berlin-style techno but touched with a slightly overdriven trashiness reminiscent of Untold‘s recent trilogy of singles. With its patient intro and undeniable low-end heft, it’s hard to imagine “Swarm” not becoming a staple of DJ sets in the months to come.

“Headache” is deceivingly easy to overlook when compared to its a-side counterpart. Caught in a constant build-up, the effort seems like a tool more than a proper track. A bit of the crunchy tinge from “Swarm” is still present, but “Headache” trades in the former song’s robust sonics for a punchier, more driving tonality. It seems like the kind of track that is intended to be maddening, especially when it’s following something as rewarding as this single’s monster lead tune.

MCMXCI “Untitled 4”

1991, whose song “Fabric of Space” we posted last month, has announced a forthcoming 12″ called Skogen, Flickan och Flaskan (which apparently translates to “wine, women and woods”). For this new endeavor, the producer has changed his moniker to MCMXCI, as he’ll be exploring a sound outside of 1991’s more lushly ambient leanings, one which he refers to as “traditionalist, inherently Swedish folk techno.” Ahead of the artist’s new record dropping early next year via Opal Tapes, we’re presented with “Untitled 4,” a reportedly single-take techno improvisation recorded onto tape that results in a dark and twisted sonic soundscape reminiscent of Unit Moebius.

MCMXCI – Untitled 4

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