One half of UK outfit Fuck Buttons, Benjamin Power (a.k.a. Blanck Mass) will soon follow his immense collection of beatless ambience, Blanck Mass, with a two-track 12″ for Joel Ford’s and Daniel Lopatin’s Mexican Summer imprint Software. “White Math” b/w “Polymorph” will arrive on August 21, but is preceded by a stream of its 11-minute a-side, a slow-growing expanse of vintage electronics (with drum machines this time, too), which you can hear below.
We’ve certainly taken a liking to Utrecht producer David Douglas this year, and so we’re excited to share a rework of his song “California Poppy” by Irish duo Solar Bears (a.k.a. John Kowalski and Rian Trench). The remix finds the twosome rearranging and slightly altering the many layers that comprise Douglas’ rich atmospherics to create a busier and buzzier sound. Solar Bears give the original song’s smooth synths a grating edge and churning low end, which makes the overall mix murkier, but doesn’t drown out the crisp bassline. Although there is no official release date for Solar Bear’s upcoming LP, the duo has confirmed that its “California Poppy” rework will be featured on a remix EP scheduled for a September release via Atomnation, the same label that released Douglas’s debut album, Royal Horticultural Society.
It should be obvious by now that XLR8R regularly keeps up on the output of B.YRSLF Division, as we’ve posted many of the French label’s tunes over the year. Today is a special day for all of its followers, as the imprint has just given away 15 tracks for free. The Summer Crisis compilation primarily features productions from newcomers to the B.YRSLF crew, but also mixes in a few familiar names, like Umba, Norrit, and Seapoint. You can check out a preview of the gratis offering, along with the tracklist, below, and download the whole set here.
01 – KINGTHING – Retrospect
02 – MEDICIS & VANSHIFT – Minneapolis
03 – SEAPOINT – Airstation CR
04 – UMBA – Growl
05 – BOMBé – Spaces
06 – SELF EVIDENT – Standin On The Corner
07 – SLICK SHOOTA – Heart Broke
08 – MIKE G – Dessert First
09 – SEAPOINT – KFC
10 – TOFFEE – Marshmallow Palace
11 – NORRIT – Want U Back
12 – JOSH MACE – Call Me
13 – UMBA – Spacearps (livejam)
14 – ILISHBEATS – Percutronic
15 – CLASS WARS (aka qp) – Bahamas
The Seattle-based producer also known as 214, has resurfaced as J. Alvarez, the brain behind the latest release from Hypercolour imprint HypeLTD. As 214, the producer has worked with labels like Frustrated Funk and Fortified Audio, but the four-track Overseas Highway EP (artwork above) is his first release under the new moniker. After dropping that record just yesterday, J. Alvarez gives us “Roller Derby,” a bonus cut that finds him treading into guttural and claustrophobic techno and boasting an ominous vibe throughout the stomping production.
As we discussed in our recent feature on German techno stalwart Rene Pawlowitz, the restless producer boasts a large number of monikers under which he delivers classically minded, experimental electronic productions, the latest offering of which arrives today from Shed. Well, The Killer, Pawlowitz’s third LP as Shed, won’t actually be released via Modeselektor’s 50Weapons imprint until July 27, but thanks to Resident Advisor, you can listen to the 11-track record now, here.
XLR8R faithful are likely well aware that 2012’s Red Bull Music Academy is about to convene in New York City, but before the proceedings take place from September 30 to November 2, we’ve put together the full list of the auspicious DJs, producers, musicians, and vocalists from around the world who will be in attendance at RBMA 2012. Throughout the extensive run of names and monikers below, you’ll undoubtedly come across loads of well-established artists; nonetheless, there is also plenty of relatively unknown talent ready to be discovered. You can peruse all 62 names below.
The Peronists – Tucuman, Argentina
Melmann – Buenos Aires, Argentina
Kloke – Melbourne, Australia
Julien Love – Melbourne, Australia
Crazy Bitch in a Cave – Vienna, Austria
Squalloscope – Vienna, Austria
DJ Slow (of Pelican Fly) – Brussels, Belgium
Carrot Green – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rodrigo Coelho – São Paulo, Brazil
Pick a Piper – Toronto, Canada
Cabaal – Ottawa, Canada
Lavina Yelb – Santiago, Chile
August Rosenbaum – Copenhagen, Denmark
Somepoe – Oulu, Finland
Adrien Pallot – Paris, France
De La Montagne – Lyon, France
Objekt – Berlin, Germany
Simonne Jones – Berlin, Germany
Rafik – Düsseldorf, Germany
Orquesta – Dublin, Ireland
Emma Bedford – Dublin, Ireland
Jolly Mare – Novoli, Italy
Mr. Selfish – Solerno, Italy
Emufucka – Tokyo, Japan
Nic Liu – Tokyo, Japan
Hiram Aldo Martinez Mata – Zapopan, Mexico
Jameszoo – Den Bosch, Netherlands
Krampfhaft – Utrecht, Netherlands
Louis Baker – Wellington, New Zealand
Kraftmatiks – Surulere Lagos, Nigeria
Smax – Karachi, Pakistan
Ale Hop – Lima, Peru
En2ak – Wroclaw, Poland
:Papercutz – Porto, Portugal
Alexandra Pirici – Bucharest, Romania
Love Cult – Petrzadosk, Russia
Trancemicsoul – Pretoria, South Africa
Sinjin Hawke – Barcelona, Spain
Leo Aldrey – Barcelona, Spain
Astroboyz – Barcelona, Spain
Rebel Rebel – Gothenberg, Sweden
Harald Björk – Stockholm, Sweden
Özcan Ertek – Istanbul, Turkey
Kaan Düzarat – Istanbul, Turkey
Rudi Zygadlo – London, UK
Dirg Gerner – London, UK
T.Williams – London, UK
Throwing Snow – London, UK
Alitrec – London, UK
Yodashe – London, UK
Koreless – Glasgow, UK
Evian Christ – Merseyside, UK
Benjamin Damage – Wales, UK
Shadowbox – New York City, USA
Octo Octa – Brooklyn, USA
Knox – Boston, USA
Kid Smpl – Seattle, USA
Julian Cubillos – Torrance, USA
Jimi Nxir – Dallas, USA
Suzanne Kraft – Venice, USA
Distal – Atlanta, USA
Annalove – Austin, USA
Canadian pop experimentalist Dan Snaith (a.k.a Caribou) released his most recent LP, the excellent Swim, over two years ago. And though there’s been no announcement of a proper follow up to that full-length, the multi-faceted artist has said he’ll soon release an album under his more house-leaning moniker, Daphni. JIAOLONG (pronounced “jow-long,” artwork above) is a nine-song LP arriving on October 16 via Merge and Snaith’s own Jiaolong imprint. Speaking on his forthcoming album, the producer says, “I’d fallen back in love with moments in small, dark clubs when a DJ puts on a piece of music that not only can you not identify but that until you heard it, you could not have conceived of it existing. In contrast to live concerts where bands predictably string together the songs from their most recent album, DJs have the potential to blindside you, be genuinely surprising. As a music producer, the parameters of dance music seem wider. The rhythmic underpinnings are liberating rather than constraining, allowing the rest of the elements to coalesce from a broad palette.” The sound of JIAOLONG is also said to be centered around a modular synth that Snaith built himself, some of which you might be able to hear in the video for album cut and early single “Ye Ye,” below. The tracklist for JIAOLONG is underneath the video.
01. Yes, I Know
02. Cos-Ber-Zam – Ne Noya (Daphni Mix)
03. Ye Ye
04. Light
05. Pairs
06. Ahora
07. Jiao
08. Springs
09. Long
Om Unit has unveiled the video for “Ulysses,” the opening song from his upcoming Aeolian EP, which is scheduled for a July 30 release via Civil Music. The look of the clip mirrors the track’s clean and futuristic vibes with angular, grid-based, and abstract visuals, all of which ends up looking like what could be a cybernetic-era scene from the movie Fantasia. The visuals are weirdly hypnotic: A dark cube with neon edges clomps into the depths of virtual reality to the beat of Om Unit’s bass-driven, twinkling tune, and eventually it all seems to implode. After checking out the tune and video, head over to Om Unit’s Facebook, where you can stream the tunesmith’s new Aeolian EP in its entirety if you “Like” the page.
UK bass specialists Dusk & Blackdown haven’t only been working on a record that may or may not be a Burial collaboration as of late, the Keysound bosses have also been quietly crafting their latest LP, Dasaflex. The 12-track record arrives about four years after the duo’s first full-length on September 17 via the aforementioned label. Speaking on how their forthcoming release came about, Dusk & Blackdown have said, “In the period after making our debut album, Margins Music, we swore we wouldn’t, couldn’t do it again… But then the sands began to change around us, and sifting through a sea of beats for our Rinse FM show, we began to be re-inspired in many different ways. Four years and hundreds of thousands of possibilities later, Dasaflex is where we’re at.” Along with this announcement comes a video for the album’s title track, which you can watch below, where you’ll also find the artwork and tracklist for Dasaflex.
1. Lonely Moon (Android Heartbreak) ft Farrah
2. High Road
3. We Ain’t Beggin’
4. Apoptosis
5. Wicked Vibez ft GQ
6. Dasaflex
7. Next Generation ft Shantie
8. R in Zero G
9. Hypergrime
10. Don’t Stop (Give It To Me)
11. DeFocused
12. Fraction
Whether it’s fair or not, Jon Convex is probably best known as “the other guy from Instra:mental.” To be certain, his former production partner Boddika has snagged a lot of headlines over the past year or so, but Convex hasn’t exactly been a slouch. Building upon the stripped-down, electro-flavored rhythms that powered the final Instra:mental album, Resolution 653, Convex has been releasing a stready stream of bass-loaded, robotic funk workouts on labels such as [NakedLunch] and 3024. Next week, he’ll be releasing his debut solo LP, Idoru, on his own Convex Industries imprint, so we’ve invited him to put together an exclusive mix for the XLR8R podcast series to help commemorate the occasion. Interestingly enough, the hour-long session largely finds Convex going a bit deeper and operating comfortably within a more house- and techno-oriented framework, dropping cuts from the likes of heavyweights such as John Tejada, Maceo Plex, and Shed (under his Traveller guise). Make no mistake, Convex definitely flashes some acid crunch and low-end heft here, but he’s a veteran artist, and as such, knows how to craft a compelling listen without constantly slamming his foot on the throttle.
01 Unknown “Untitled”
02 Alex Smoke “Make My Day (Lusine Remix)” (Soma)
03 Mesak “Echos Bones” (Klakson)
04 Lusine “Sunset” (Ghostly)
05 Uner “Lapan To” (Cécille)
06 John Tejada “Fading Memory” (Immigrant)
07 Unknown “Untitled”
08 John Tejada “Labyrinth” (Palette)
09 Maetrik “Work It Remix” (Siteholder)
10 Justin Martin “Get Low (J.Phlip Remix)” (Dirtybird)
11 Maetrik “Envy” (Dumb Unit)
12 Jon Convex “Aversion” (Convex Industries)
13 Femme En Fourrure “2003” (Convex Industries)
14 Jon Convex “Four Faces” (Convex Industries)
15 Accent “DX Jam”
16 Jon Convex “What I Need (feat. Velvit)” (Convex Industries)
17 Good Guy Mikesh “Spare (Axel Boman Remix)” (Ki)
18 Maceo Plex “Your Style” (Crosstown Rebels)
19 The Traveller “A100” (Ostgut Ton)
20 Sei A “Mercy Bass” (Turbo)
21 Jon Convex “Idoru” (Convex Industries)
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