Teengirl Fantasy Streams New Track

Tracer, the forthcoming sophomore full-length from Brooklyn house dreamers Teengirl Fantasy, is still roughly over a month away from release, but today we’re treated to another one of its vibrant and swishy productions. “End” arrives after Logan Takahashi’s and Nick Weiss’ excellent new “Motif” single dropped via True Panther/R&S, and despite its name, actually comes from right about in the exact middle of Tracer‘s tracklist. You can take a listen to its emotive digital soundscapes before the second Teengirl Fantasy LP is released on August 21, in the player below.

Podcast 255: Mike Shannon

Mike Shannon isn’t what most people would call flashy. The Canadian-born, Berlin-based DJ and producer is a veteran artist who doesn’t seek the limelight, instead preferring to operate behind the scenes—and behind the decks—and simply let the music do the talking. That said, his contributions to the world of techno really shouldn’t be understated, as Shannon was one of the first artists to make a connection between Canada and Berlin, a path that has now become well worn by a myriad of producers and DJs. Over the years, he’s released music on seminal imprints such as Force Inc., ~scape, Plus 8, and Wagon Repair, while also finding the time to head up his own Cynosure and Haunt labels. The latter imprint seems to be an especially shadowy operation, which is why it’s mildly surprising that Shannon will be showcasing its sound this Saturday, July 14 at London’s Fabric. (All the details can be found here.) In an effort to help spread the word, Shannon offered up an exclusive mix for the XLR8R podcast series, and we jumped at the chance to get an in-depth sampling of his current musical headspace. As it turns out, the podcast is largely a family affair, showcasing several of Shannon’s own productions—both solo and in collaboration with other like-minded artists—alongside numerous cuts from the Haunt catalog, many of them unreleased. It’s a rich, engrossing listen, one colored by elements of jazz and soul while remaining rooted in house and techno.

01 The Mole “Stupid Famous” (Maybe Tomorrow)
02 DeWalta “Peregrine (Second Race)” (Haunt)
03 DeWalta & Shannon “Slicks” (Meander)
04 DeWalta “Jog Trott” (Haunt)
05 The Mole “Breathing” (Haunt)
06 DeWalta & Shannon “Double Booked” (Haunt)
07 Martin Teysera “Too Late” (Haunt)
08 DDMS (DeWalta, Deadbeat, Mole, Shannon) “Makers” (Haunt)
09 DeWalta “Machine Soul” (Haunt)
10 Avatism “Mondo Tredici” (Haunt)
11 Mike Shannon “Pimp Limp” (Haunt)
12 Mike Shannon “BB Phase Beatdown” (Haunt)
13 Mike Shannon “Bus Fight” (Cynosure)
14 DeWalta “Barksdale (Movin On) feat. Joga” (Haunt)
15 Danuel Tate, The Mole & Shannon “Moisture” (Haunt)

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Kid Smpl “Escape Pod”

The Seattle bass-music wunderkind known as Kid Smpl has had a very busy past two years. He’s released a slew of EPs (Ghostsuit, a split with Daega Sound, Collapse, and Digital Hands, among others), a bevy of remixes, and he even has a few videos tucked under his belt. But the 21-year-old beatsmith born Joey Butler isn’t one to take a break; he’s got a new five-track digital release called Escape Pod dropping on August 7 through Seattle radio DJ Alex Ruder‘s newly launched Hush Hush label. Kid Smpl has often mentioned the music of Burial as a major influence on his sound, and on Escape Pod‘s opening title track, the similarities shine through, as slow, muted percussion crawls beneath a bed of graceful atmospheric strings. “Escape Pod” sets a sparse and ethereal stage for the rest of the young producer’s EP, which includes three other original cuts and a strangely upbeat remix of “Pulse” by WEDIDIT Collective associate D33J.

Escape Pod

Julio Bashmore Au Seve EP

“Au Seve” marks the latest milestone in the rise of low-end-loving house producer Julio Bashmore. In case you’ve somehow missed the hype, the past few years have seen Bashmore emerge as the one of the bright young hopes of British dance music, emerging out of Bristol’s club scene (with some support from Claude VonStroke and his Dirtybird imprint) to claim a place at the forefront of a mini house renaissance. Over the past 18 months, Bashmore has kicked that rise into overdrive, owning 2011 with omnipresent floor filler “Battle For Middle You,” scooping a slot on BBC Radio 1’s late-night schedule, and scoring DJ gigs of ever-increasing prominence. Now, he’s launched his own label, Broadwalk, and “Au Seve” has arrived as the inaugural release.

It’s a fitting debut for the imprint, the a-side acting almost like a calling card, bearing all the hallmarks—both positive and, to a lesser extent, negative—of Bashmore’s production style. “Au Seve” is undoubtedly an excellently crafted house tune; as with all of Bashmore’s best work, the production is near-faultless, and the whole thing is perfectly structured and fine tuned to draw the maximum amount of drama out of the infectious bass and synth hook. Even more impressive, it manages to do so without ever feeling hammy or overdone. It’s an immaculate exercise in retro house music, but that’s also its biggest flaw. As enjoyable as “Au Seve” is, it’s hard to shake the feeling that the track is effectively a retro piece. Literally every sound—from the drum samples to the toplines—could have been lifted from disco and Chicago-house records, and the hook is based around a generic vocal sample. The same can be said for “Troglodytes,” which shares the 12″‘s a-side. It’s another exceptionally well-made piece of bouncy, disco-tinged house, but one that’s equally backward looking and also focused around a knowingly tacky spoken-word vocal.

The b-side is different story altogether, and a relatively confusing one at that. Consisting of 20 minutes of apparently unnamed music, it seems to include somewhere between one and four different tracks. It’s a rambling exercise in chopped-and-screwed disco that owes a debt to Oneohtrix Point Never and the 100% Silk stable; it’s late-night house slowed down to around half speed, warped like a dated 8-track tape as it fades in and out of washes of reverb. It’s strange, relatively inaccessible, and probably about 14 minutes longer than it needs to be, but—particularly after the straight-laced tribute paying of the a-side—it’s great.

Without question, both “Au Seve” and “Troglodytes” are enjoyable, infectious, and brilliantly executed house tunes. Furthermore, it would be unfair to act like Bashmore is the only producer out there reanimating classic house styles. (He’s certainly not the worst offender either.) But if the juxtaposition of the more leftfield flipside on this 12″ makes anything clear, it’s that a producer of Bashmore’s talents has more to offer than just homage-paying dancefloor ammunition. Let’s hope we see more of that experimental side in the future.

Rounds “Sideways”

UK trio Rounds (a.k.a. Andrew Chapman, Robert Cooper, and Ashley Kemp) has prepared its debut release for burgeoning label moun10, the six-track Escapist EP. The first leak from the record, “Sideways,” showcases Cooper’s and Chapman’s surging synth tones and the pulsing drum work by Kemp, which all culminates in a rounded and subtle ride. “Sideways” places a heavy emphasis on rich melodics and plenty of layering, driving the sound into the slower, introspective end of the bass-o-sphere alongside artists like Anenon, who provided a remix on the forthcoming release. Rounds’ Escapist EP is due out on July 23.

03 Sideways

Stream Cooly G’s Debut Album for Hyperdub

The Hypemachine has premiered a full album stream of Playin’ Me, the upcoming debut LP by UK funky queen Cooly G (a.k.a. Merrisa Campbell) which is set to drop next week via Kode9‘s heavy-hitting Hyperdub label. In stark contrast to her earlier cuts like “Him Da Biz” and “Love Dub,” Cooly G’s LP features lots of reverb-addled singing by the producer herself, as well as healthy servings of seductive, low end-heavy rhythms. “Landscapes” and “Come Into My Room” have already seen the light of day, but you can now stream the album in full, below.

Leon Chase “Do Without You”

Nottingham’s Pasteman first caught our attention through his partnership with fellow UK producer Mak, and now he has returned with a new collaboration and “fully focused alias,” known as Leon Chase. The fresh project is a joint venture with 19-year-old Winchester native Tanka, who surfaced a couple weeks ago on the remix for Lokiboi‘s “One House.” The duo’s debut offering, “Do Without You,” invests most of its intricacy in the mesmerizing two-step beat, which clicks and crackles under a similarly hypnotizing vocal loop and downtempo keys. Leon Chase’s debut EP for Overcooked is on the horizon, but other than its imminent arrival, we have no further details about the release.

Do Without You

Video: Popcaan “The System (Produced by Dre Skull)”

Although it was a “long, strange trip” for Brooklyn’s Dre Skull to become a dancehall producer, his work in that field has always made him sound like a natural. The tunesmith’s latest release, Loudspeaker Riddim, earned him XLR8R Pick honors back in May, and he continues his winning streak with a video for “The System,” Popcaan‘s vocal-version of Dre Skull’s firey riddim. As Dre Skull explains in a recent column he wrote for Vice, “The System” was originally meant to feature the vocal stylings of Natalie Storm, but Popcaan’s “epic, heartfelt song about the struggles of ghetto youth” won him over. The video was shot to look like a single take shot on location in Kingston, and features Popcaan and his fitted-cap-wearing crew strolling through a lively shantytown.

Tensnake Drops Mix for FACT

Tensnake (a.k.a. Marco Niemerski) has been on the scene since 2006, making a name for himself by churning out unabashedly ’80s-inspired dance jams, like 2010’s “Coma Cat,” a tune which sounds more suited for the sultry scenes of Miami than the producer’s native Hamburg. Now, the artist has put together the newest installment in FACT’s ongoing mix series. Tensnake’s sweltering mix features a wide variety of sounds, including Julio Bashmore’s rumpshaker “Au Seve,” Mr. Oizo’s sassy and streetwise “Toodoo,” and even his own reinterpretations of Sugardaddy’s “How Long” and “Trainman” by Lauer. You can stream Niemerski’s DJ set and peruse its tracklist below, as well as head over to FACT to check out a short interview with the mixmaster himself.

01 Sugardaddy “How Long” (Tensnake re-work)
02 Kenton Slash Demon “Sun”
03 Sailor & I “Tough Love” (Aril Brikha remix)
04 Flight Facilities “With You” (David August remix)
05 Larmon “Wowshit”
06 Mr Oizo “Toodoo”
07 Stevie V “Dirty Cash”
08 Julio Bashmore “Au Seve”
09 Disclosure “My Intention is War”
10 Shadow Child “So High”
11 Hot Chip “Night And Day” (Dusky remix)
12 Destructo “LA Funky”
13 Nathan Barato “Back Up Queen”
14 Björk “Big Time Sensuality” (Christophe R edit)
15 Global Communication “The Way”
16 Lauer “Trainman” (Tensnake Tranceman remix)

Maceo Plex to Drop New 12″ as Maetrik

Texas-born DJ/producer and recent High Five contributor Maceo Plex has announced that his own Ellum Audio imprint will soon release its first offering from the label head’s techno-leaning Maetrik moniker. The three-song Unleash the Beast EP features two new productions from Eric Estornel’s side project, alongside a cut entitled “Walk Alone (Maceo Plex Revenge).” You can expect that record to drop on August 13, and check out a preview of the hard-hitting tunes before then, below.

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