Ages “Michael Bownzon (feat. Citymouth)”

During a recent mix for psychedelic beat label Error Broadcast, Orange County’s Ages (a.k.a. Michael Lundy, pictured above) dropped a brand-new tune, a collaboration with Dropping Gems artist Citymouth. “Michael Bownzon” is short but dense, boasting deep, glittering beats decorated with sparkling keys and filter sweeps that help sculpt a kind of lush, constantly morphing hip-hop. Ages’ mix, which you can hear in the player following the break, also features an exclusive Matthewdavid track and more of the Lundy’s own unreleased cuts.

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Michael Bownzon (feat. Citymouth)

Laurel Halo and Ital Prep North American Tour

Two producers working on the more experimental side of Brooklyn’s ever-growing electronic music scene, synth alchemist Laurel Halo (pictured above) and house music contortionist Ital are gearing up for a joint North American tour this fall after both releasing records via Hyperdub and Planet Mu, respectively. The tour begins in the producers’ own backyard at 285 Kent on September 21 and will finish up at Pittsburgh’s VIA Festival on October 6—hitting Boston, Toronto, Chicago, Detroit, and other cities in between. Before then, each artist will also play their own live sets at Raleigh’s Hopscotch Festival on September 7 (Ital) and 8 (Laurel Halo). You can scope the full list of dates below.

9/21 – 285 Kent – Brooklyn, NY
9/22 – Floristree – Baltimore, MD
9/23 – DC 9 – Washington, DC
9/25 – SUNY Purchase College – Purchase, NY
9/26 – Great Scotts – Boston, MA
9/28 – Parts and Labour – Toronto, ON
9/29 – Oberlin College – Oberlin, OH
9/30 – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL
10/1 – 7th Street Entry – Minneapolis, MN
10/2 – The Pyramid Scheme – Grand Rapids, MI
10/3 – The Horn Gallery – Gambier, OH
10/4 – Adult Contemporary – Detroit, MI
10/6 – VIA Festival – Pittsburgh, PA

Antwerp “Haab'”

London-based digital label Noise Praise is gearing up to release the second EP by UK talent Antwerp, titled Permanent State of Jet Lag (artwork above), and has already unleashed one of the cuts in anticipation. “Haab'” is composed of a light flurry of notes and odd, dizzying noises that sound like contorted string instruments. The eclectic medley of sounds seems more like an audio collage when the beat kicks in, and its quick pace proves that Antwerp is enamored with the same kind of upbeat tempos we enjoyed on last year’s “Equinox.”

03 Haab’

Teengirl Fantasy Readies European Tour

Brooklyn experimental house duo Teengirl Fantasy (who shared with us its top five ’90s-era Digital Revolution tracks in our recent High Five feature) is returning to Europe for a string of shows to showcase its new album, Tracer, which we reviewed earlier this month. Producers Nick Weiss and Logan Takahashi will kick off their tour with a set at Berlin’s infamous Berghain club alongside Simian Mobile Disco on October 11, and will end at the Club to Club Festival in Turin with Lone on November 8. The duo will also hit both Rennes’ Elektronik Festival and Krakow’s Unsound Festival, among other dates. You can check out the full list of performances below.

10/11 – Berlin – Berghain w/ Simian Mobile Disco
10/12 – Paris – Fleche d’Or
10/13 – Rennes – Elektronik Festival
10/16 – Krakow – Unsound Festival
10/18 – Brussels – Botanique
10/19 – Stockholm – Debaser Medis
10/20 – London – Nocturnal at Birthdays
10/24 – London – Village Underground w/ Actress, Evian Christ
10/26 – Brighton – Life w/ Blawan, Leon Vynehall
10/27 – Glasgow – The Arches
10/31 – St Gallen – Palace St Gallen w/ Laurel Halo
11/8 – Turin – Club To Club Festival w/ Lone

Podcast 262: Midland’s Dimensions Mix

If there’s one word that sums up UK producer Midland (a.k.a. Harry Agius) rather nicely, it’s patient. Granted, his first appearance on record, a collaborative outing with Ramadanman on a 12″ for the Aus imprint in 2010, gave him a pretty auspicious beginning to his career as a producer. Nevertheless, Midland smartly avoided cashing in on the hype and instead chose to take the long road, gradually developing his sound while steadily dropping a solid series of singles and EPs. He’s never crafted a dancefloor smash—honestly, his slow-burning house aesthetic doesn’t exactly lend itself to would-be anthems—but Midland is unquestionably a respected producer, and one who’s seen his stock rise significantly following his most recent release, the Placement EP. Part of that rise has meant an increasingly busy DJ schedule, and next week, Midland will be one of the dozens of top-flight artists and DJs heading to Croatia for the inaugural Dimensions Festival. XLR8R will be in attendance, so we figured now would be a good time to shed some light on the festival—and Midland’s music, of course—by enlisting the rising beatsmith to put together an exclusive mix for our podcast series.

While Midland continues to be lumped in with other artists under the banner of so-called bass music, his aesthetic veers much closer to melodic house and techno, sounds which he definitely explores on this mix. The podcast is actually devoid of any Midland productions, and instead finds the UK artist weaving together finely detailed cuts of low-key dancefloor fare. It’s deep without being boring, melodic without being cheesy, and club appropriate without banging the listener over the head. Essentially, it’s a mature and highly enjoyable effort, not to mention a sign that Midland appears to be on the right track as his music continues to develop.

01 Newworldaquarium “The Force (Ame’s Alternative Version)” (NWAQ)
02 STL “That Minimal Track” (Perlon)
03 Tevo Howard “Intersection” (Rush Hour)
04 Claro Intelecto “X” (Modern Love)
05 Koala “Mistakes Are OK (BNJMN Remix)” (Hivern Discs)
06 Efdemin “Plenum” (Kann Records)
07 Rhythm & Sound “Free for All (feat. Paul St. Hilaire) (Soundstream Remix)” (Burial Mix)
08 Frak “A2” (Sex Tags Mania)
09 Schweiz Rec “B1” (Workshop)
10 ItaloJohnson “ItaloJohnson B1” (ItaloJohnson03)
11 Boddika & Joy O “& Fate” (Non Plus)
12 Tuff City Kids “SFS” (Underton)
13 Bjørn Torske & Siob Latsyrc “Percussion (Mix 2)” (Sex Tags Mania)
14 Mr.G “Be Free” (Phoenix G)
15 Anton Zap “PM Please” (Underground Quality)
16 Percussions “Bird Songs” (Text)
17 Bookworms “African Rhythms” (L.I.E.S.)
18 Lord Nelson “Shango (Daniel Haaksman & DJ Beware Remix)” (Soundway)
19 Soul Capsule “Lady Science (NYC Sunrise Mix)” (Trelik)

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Drive Me Home “Make Up Sex”

Citinite signee and London resident Drive Me Home (whose Fast Life EP you may remember) has shot a video for one-off single “Make Up Sex,” which he has also offered up for free. The title suits the plodding, R&B-influenced tune almost too well, considering the tendency for both bass music and R&B to lay the sultry vibes on pretty damn thick. Drive Me Home’s new bass-heavy tune is no exception, as it uses a handful of breathy, coital-sounding vocal samples and lush synths to create a distinctly sexual atmosphere. The video, which you can watch after the jump, is not quite as suggestive, as it cuts between shots of blurry shapes and dark, abstract figures.

Make Up Sex

Matthew Dear Beams

Producer/band-leader extraordinaire Matthew Dear long ago distanced himself from the title of “techno wunderkind,” and on Beams, his latest for Ghostly International, he moves even further from his roots, embracing the post-punk influences of his youth on his most pop-tinged record to date.

At first listen, it seems like Beams is a million miles away from Dear’s 2010 gothic masterpiece, Black City, as the new LP ditches grimy, back-alley beats for something warmer and brighter; it feels optimistic, and downright playful. Exhilarating opener and lead single “Her Fantasy” sets the tone right from the start, a tropical summer jam that’s as close to synth-pop perfection as he’ll ever get. “Earthforms,” easily one of the best tracks on the album, keeps the momentum going with an infectious bassline recalling early Joy Division. Talking Heads-like grooves run through “Up & Out,” the song perhaps being something of a tribute to Dear’s idol, David Byrne.

Outward sunniness aside, a closer look at Beams reveals a different story, and a more mature songwriter. From the bruised-up portrait on the cover to the fatalistic lyrics, Dear is still lurking in dark corners—he seems to be stuck in an incredibly uncomfortable place in his own mind. Deeply rooted anxiety seeps through “Her Fantasy” (“Am I one heartbeat away from receiving a damaging shock to my life?”), “Overtime” (“And the relative passage/You have to fade to fade up”) and “Do the Right Thing” (“My heart, it weighs about a ton in flames/Pouring down from the sun to the ground in mistakes”). Dear delivers these harsh realities with his near-robotic baritone, and it’s the tension derived from the unsettling mix of seductive beats, introspective lyrics, and Dear’s deadpan delivery that makes Beams such a compelling listen.

Beams is a strong addition to Dear’s catalog, but it’s not all that inventive given his history, and it does have its weak points. “Fighting Is Futile” is a total mess—the driving mantra of “Take a trip on something else” is maddening, and the bizarre inclusion of clashing steel drums is puzzling at best. He seems downright bored with “Do The Right Thing,” a heavy-handed song about growing up and accepting responsibility for your mistakes. That said, minor complaints aside, Beams is a solid record, and a pretty good Dear album is nothing to be upset about.

jozif “The Guitar Player (Dub Mix)”

This week, London’s jozif will unleash the Standard Rising EP several months after the release of his Lady B EP, also for Culprit. His most recent record is the second installment of the LA-based imprint’s summer trilogy, and he has offered up a dub version of one of the EP’s cuts. “The Guitar Player (Dub Mix)” directs attention to the original’s chunky bassline and bits of funk flavor embedded within the squalling guitar riffs, with a spoken-word vocal sample occasionally peeking out from behind the more prominent elements.

The Guitar Player (Dub Mix)

Vin Sol The Line Up

As short as it is on official releases, Vin Sol‘s catalog seems to promise a party. The San Francisco producer’s work for labels like Fool’s Gold and his own Soo Wavey imprint (which he runs in tandem with 5kinandbone5) references everything from Miami bass to R&B, and is perennially occupied with thunderous low end and a rowdy, party-friendly sensibility. At first glance, The Line Up, Sol’s latest release for Soo Wavey, furthers the artist’s lively aesthetic (as well as the label’s, given that its last release was titled Penis Power). Its outrageous, Santa Cruz Skateboards-inspired cover depicts a slimy gremlin, eyes popping out of its skull, grabbing a blood-covered record with skateboard trucks and wheels attached. That outsized cartoonishness, however, doesn’t extend to the two tracks within.

This isn’t to suggest that “Lined Up” and “Break Point” are lifeless, however. It’s more that they’re quite bare boned, in that both tracks are tightly tailored and fit for filling out sets. Sol doesn’t appear to spend a lot of time processing his drums, and as a result, his tracks sound punchy and straight out of the box. On “Lined Up,” animated cowbell and tom patterns ride bumpy kicks with a palpable electro attitude, continually locking into new angles. Sol’s vocal clips and acidic melody are positively old school, and while he complements them with pitch-bent synth rushes and colossal builds, neither dwarves the track’s no-frills premise. Although “Lined Up” is busy at times, it rarely feels overloaded. The subby “Break Point” is rawer still, overlaid with a subtle fuzz that suggests it was jammed straight to tape. Its linear progression hints at this as well, with chattering hi-hats and pearly, filtered stabs steadily added to a billowing, similarly stabby bassline. As the elements are filtered past one another, Sol once again employs some extravagant builds. These sorts of dramatic flourishes are often grounds for disaster, but Sol smartly cuts them off, leading the listener back to the track’s skeleton rather than climbing into excess.

Neither piece on The Line Up is particularly elegant, and the pervasive use of stabs can make them feel overly taut. Even so, his tracky, old-school approach is efficiently contoured for uptempo sets—Sol is aware that less is often more in that context, and tempers his work accordingly.

Addison Groove to Start New Label; Preview First Release

Shortly after getting word that Bristolian tunesmith Addison Groove (pictured above) has an EP on the way via 50Weapons, we’ve discovered that he’ll also soon be launching his own record label, which he’s dubbed Lost in Translation. The first release will be a collaborative two-track record from Cardiff-based producers Chesus, a member of house-loving party starters C.R.S.T., and newcomer The Organ Grinder. Before the pair’s Audioporn 12″ drops via Lost in Translation on August 27, you can stream clips of the vinyl-only release (though its title track will be available over on Surus, here) below. (via Resident Advisor)

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