Ben Klock, Benga, and More Added to Amsterdam Dance Event Lineup

Earlier this summer, we reported on the initial lineup of 2012’s Amsterdam Dance Event, which includes the likes of Blawan, Planetary Assault Systems, and Richie Hawtin, among loads of others. And the big names keep rolling in, as we now have word of more artists being added to the festivities. ADE has confirmed that Ben Klock, Benga, Jackmaster, Laidback Luke and more will be performing between October 17 and 21, the week that the festival will take over Amsterdam with a litany of shows, masterclasses, conferences, and more. Although the five-day ADE pro passes have sold out, you can still pick up festival tickets here, and scope the full list of performances and events here.

Ultrademon & DJ Kiff “Green Room Hill Zone”

Chicago producer Ultrademon and New Jersey Brick Bandits affiliate DJ Kiff have just released their collaborative Bubbles EP via Coral’s Bandcamp. Although the pairing seems rather random, the tunesmith’s respective styles and sonic inclinations complement one another surprisingly well. For example, “Green Room Hill Zone” reps some typical Jersey Club vocal chops, though the samples are brought down in the mix to make room for the squelchy synthesizers and water-drop sound effects. Ultrademon & DJ Kiff’s tune continues to explore new sounds during the half-time breakdown—including trancey synths, thudding hip-hop percussion, and various sound bytes. The pair also dropped a CGI-heavy video for another track from the Bubbles EP, the hyper-active and super-melodic “Yr So Wet 3.0,” which you can check out after the jump.

Green Room Hill Zone

Tom Demac Critical Distance Pt. 2

In fairness, it sometimes feels like every episode of the Boiler Room leads to a mini-takeover of everyone’s Twitter feed, usually with customary comments along the lines of “DJ So-and-so is killing it right now!” But every once in awhile, an artist on the Boiler Room will do something truly outstanding, prompting a sort of palpable Twitter mania in the process. Tom Demac is one such artist. Back in August, he headlined the Hypercolour label’s Boiler Room takeover with a live set. The first 45 minutes were good enough to garner some serious praise, but just before things came to a close, Demac unfurled this absolutely monstrous bassline and the crowd erupted. Online, the Twittersphere was alight within seconds, with people everywhere asking, “What is this tune?” Demac could only let it roll for a minute or two before he had to wrap up the performance, but he had clearly gotten everyone’s attention. As it turns out, that tune was “Critical Distance Pt. 2,” the UK producer’s next single on Hypercolour.

In retrospect, ending his Boiler Room set with the song was an incredibly savvy move, as Demac set the stage for a track that’s sure to be rinsed to death in the months ahead. Underpinned by thick, slightly shuffling drums, “Critical Distance Pt. 2” offers more than just low-end heft; it’s a dark and moody cut, one where ominous synths streak across the song’s intro before giving way to an enticingly brawny bass wobble. There’s also a vocal element, albeit one that’s been been twisted to resemble a horrific sort of prehistoric bellow that offsets the bassline perfectly. In truth, there’s no rocket science at work here. This is a big, banging house roller, and while it may be something that serious music fans can appreciate, it’s just as (if not more) likely to work the average punter into a tizzy. Clubs need tracks like this, and Demac should be commended for making something so potent without dumbing down the discourse. When working with heavy bass sounds, that’s no easy task.

Slightly more restrained is the remix by Hrdvsion on the flip. His take also centers around a wobbly bassline, but somehow, it’s both more menacing and more reserved than the original, perhaps because the warbling notes have been filled out by lazily floating atmospheric synths and stretched over Hrdvsion’s loose drum patterns. The track bears a passing resemblance to Fis-T’s “Night Hunter,” another cut which demonstrated that wobble isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Make no mistake, in 2012 it’s usually a bad thing, but that only serves to make a track like “Critical Distance Pt. 2” an incredibly enjoyable exception to the rule.

Video Premiere: Pixelord “Been Lookin”

Just a few days ahead of the September 17 release of his Supaplex EP and following the recent freebie tune “Freeze Star VIP,” Russian producer Pixelord (a.k.a. Alexey Devyanin) has unveiled the peculiar video for his new record’s lead track, “Been Lookin.” While the footwork-leaning beat doesn’t overtly suggest that Pixelord has a fascination with shogun or samurai culture, the clip for the tune draws heavily on footage from a presumably vintage Japanese film. Director Dan Hankinson modified and edited the images by making ample use of the mirroring effect and superimposing opaque geometric patterns; at one moment, the film flickers within a triangle that’s floating in what looks like star-spangled deep space. Considering the dark chord stabs in Pixelord’s track, perhaps the black void of outer space is an appropriate setting for the video’s seemingly random infatuation with samurai films.

Copy Paste Soul “So Good”

This week, the 2 Swords label welcomed the return of anonymous South London producer Copy Paste Soul with the release of a two-track 12″. “I Need Ya” b/w “Careful With Me” will see a digital release on September 24, but in the meantime, the tuensmith has offered up non-EP track “So Good,” a cut which builds to a soothing, garage-influenced lull with dreamy synthscapes and pitched vocal coos nestled into the mix.

So Good

Blackbelt Andersen to Release Sophomore LP via Full Pupp

One of Oslo’s many space-disco patrons, Blackbelt Andersen is set to release his new album, aptly called Blackbelt Andersen II (artwork above). The record includes eight new tracks that—along with Full Pupp label boss Prins Thomas (who also has his second LP on the way)—the veteran tunesmith produced using old templates. Although this may seem like a shortcut to creating new material, the productions were carefully revamped through the use of effects boxes, guitar amps, and new synths. Additionally, while each track has its own unique sound, Blackbelt Anderson also seamlessly tied them together in a continuous mix which will be available on the CD and digital versions of his second full-length. You can check out the tracklist for Blackbelt Anderson II before it drops on October 15, below.

01. Åpenbaring
02. Delta Tango Alfa
03. Kosmos
04. Mann på Mars
05. Resten av ditt liv
06. Lagniappe del 1
07. Indre demoner
08. Postkort fra Berlin
09. Stressa ut
10. Lagniappe del 2
11. Haiku

Moralez “Motion Elements (Snuff Crew Remix)”

Although the Facebook profile for Helsinki imprint Top Billin promises “energetic, loud, and nasty” beats, its latest release from Russian producer Moralez takes a welcomed left turn toward temperate moods and old-school sounds. Moralez’s Motion Elements EP features a squelchy acid-house tune for its title track, along with remixes by the mysterious German duo the Snuff Crew and Portugal’s Photonz. The Snuff Crew focuses on the low end of Moralez’s original, molding the bassline into a flat-footed march and sprinkling in sunny chord stabs between bouts of stark drum breaks. You can check out the rest of the Russian tunesmith’s new record here.

Motion Elements (Snuff Crew Remix)

Motion Elements (Snuff Crew Remix)

Emeralds to Release New LP

After the Ohio-reared Emeralds released its excellent Does it Look Like I’m Here? LP in 2010 (we chose it as our thirteenth favorite release of the year), the trio of synth explorers went on to release a handful of solo endeavors (including Steve Hauschildt’s XLR8R Pick’d Tragedy & Geometry) and run the Spectrum Spools imprint, but only now has word of a follow-up album surfaced. Just to Feel Anything is a seven-track LP set to drop on November 5 via Editions Mego, and is said to be “[an] expertly recorded new album [that] sees the band deliver plenty of their distinctive aesthetic for old fans to enjoy, while offering a new range of fresh, exciting ideas for newcomers.” You can check out the artwork (conceived and created in part by Mark Fell of SND) and tracklist for Emeralds forthcoming album below. (via Resident Advisor)

1. Before Your Eyes
2. Adrenochrome
3. Through & Through
4. Everything Is Inverted
5. The Loser Keeps America Clean
6. Just to Feel Anything
7. Search For Me in the Wasteland

Video Premiere: Chymera “Swim Away”

Here, we have the new video for Berlin-based producer Chymera‘s “Swim Away,” an ambient-inspired live electronics jam taken from his recently released Death by Misadventure LP for Connaisseur. The video was shot in New York City by local videographer Sofian Khan and stars James Singley, a Central Park roller skating legend, in his bright-red jumpsuit and fancy skates with illuminated wheels. The protagonist of the video spends the night roller skating through the city, ultimately—as the song’s title foreshadows—taking a swim in the river.

Hi, Doctor Nick! – Girls in the Music Game, Breakfast Burritos, and the Right Gear for Performing Live

Last week, we debutedHi, Doctor Nick!, our new weekly advice column piloted by NYC badman and life guru Nick Hook. As he’ll be doing every Thursday, he’s once again gathered up some wisdom and answered another batch of reader questions. This week, see what he has to say about girls in the music industry, the right gear to perform electronic music live, and breakfast burritos.

Hi Doctor Nick,

What kind of advice can you give to any females who dare to have a career similar to yours (performing/DJing/producing/booking/advice columnist… am I forgetting anything)? Maybe not directly because you aren’t a female, but from a male’s perspective? Do we really have to be the bitchiest and have balls bigger than the boys in order to be successful?
Sonya

I think I do have some light to shed on this. I’ve been lucky enough to work extensively with Tiombe Lockhart and Azealia Banks, in my opinion two of the more creative and dynamic women in music today, as well as knowing a bunch of dope girl DJs.

Azealia and Tiombe both have such a clear-cut idea of what’s dope to them, style for days, and beyond that, they are fucking fearless. Azealia once showed me this video on YouTube by Elektrik Red, “We Fuck You,” and it made me rethink my life.

I wouldn’t say you have to have bigger balls or be the bitchiest, but I think in many more ways, you have to be on point in a different way than us as men. It’s sad to say, but for some reason, I think people remember the one slip-up a girl makes, so being on point is ALWAYS important.

Also on the real, I think it’s important to read quick if a guy really wants to work with you and build your career, or if he’s just trying to fuck you. I think my working relationship with the majority of the females I’ve worked with is based upon the fact that I just believed in them as artists, and we’ve built amazing levels of trust because it’s not just my long-term goal to try and get it. That’s not to say I haven’t caught feelings for people I’ve worked with, because creation is such an intimate thing.

Keep in mind, this shit isn’t easy for anyone, boy or girl. I’ve literally sacrificed my entire life and everything about it to be writing an advice column right now.

Hi Doctor Nick,

In your experience, is there a practical way to play electronic music live that doesn’t involve thousands of dollars worth of equipment? (I have an APC40 and a laptop, any suggestions?)
Ben

An APC40 and a laptop are working for a lot of people out there. Flying Lotus uses an MPD32 and a laptop, and he’s murdering everyone. I started using Abelton and a MIDI controller live after my old band got ALL of our shit robbed in Detroit. In my studio, I have tons of analog gear, and I love it, but I realized something: only like six dudes are gonna notice if you have thousands of dollars of gear, and they will talk to you for six hours after the show. The girls don’t know.

Use what you got and make it you. Then, if you make some money, invest it. But you don’t really NEED anything beyond that.

Hi Doctor Nick,

Breakfast burritos every morning on tour? Is this good or not? Also, if I play SpaceGhostPurrp at a show, will this scare girls away or make them feel sexy?
Bryant

I say one breakfast burrito a week, so it’s special. Oatmeal with banana the other six days. Bring your own oatmeal. You’ll feel way better and save mad loot. Trust me, it works.

As for SpaceGhostPurrp, it depends what girls you are going for. The girl I like the most right now likes SpaceGhostPurrp and she’s so tight. So, Spaceghost all the way in my opinion. Aren’t we trying to weed the wrong girls out?

Do you have a question for Doctor Nick? Please submit your inquires to doctornick@xlr8r.com. Nick Hook can help you.

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