Pits’ first release on Holding Hands, last year’s Socket Power / Balance Beam, was a special one for the label. “It really felt like the first time that we had a release that was properly doing the rounds,” label head Desert Sound Colony explains. “All the big dogs and cats were playing the living shit out of it, and dancefloors around the world were slamming’ and a jammin’ to the sound of Holding Hands.”
Since then, Pits has put out releases on Wex and Seven Hills, as himself and also in the duo Space Cadets with Lisene. He now returns with Stagga,a three-track EP featuring two originals and a remix. “It was a tough call to decide the A side but in the end I opted for ‘Stagga,’ a bona fide steam roller of a tune,” Desert Sound Colony explains.
On B1, we have “Pest Control,” which “has been hitting the club so hard when I’ve been playing it that on two separate occasions I’ve had people come up and literally force me to wheel the damn thing,” Desert Sound Colony adds. “Something about that woooom wooooom bass that just makes you feel all coocoo crazy pants inside.” The EP finishes with a remix by OCB.
In support of the release, out now, we’re streaming “Pest Control” exclusively in full below.
Tracklisting
A1. Stagga B1. Pest Control B2. Stagga (OCB Remix)
Lefto began DJing in the mid–’90s while still enrolled in high school. He grew up in an musical home, surrounded by vinyl and cassette tapes, and learned the basics of mixing them via Starflam, a hip-hop group from Liège in the French-speaking part of Belgium.
Outside of studying, he also worked at Music Mania, a small record store in Brussels that opened its doors in 1969 and focused on rock and vinyl, but, in his capacity as shop assistant, a young Lefto witnessed the expansion of the shop’s hip-hop catalog, and, in doing so, familiarised himself with the finest offerings in these musical realms. Impressed by Lefto’s grasp of music, his friend Eric Smout, who divided his time between Music Mania and Studio Brussels, Belgium’s leading alternative national radio station, recommended Lefto to his colleagues. A few months later, Jan Van Biesen, a famous Flemish DJ and head of Studio Brussels, informed Lefto of plans to launch an alternative hip-hop show, and that he’d like to bring him on board. Originally called “The Hop,” and now known as the “Lefto Show,” the weekly broadcast has established Lefto as one of Belgium’s leading tastemakers. What started as a hip-hop show has now evolved into one that focuses on all-round music from far and wide, and it’s now broadcast on Mixcloud, where Lefto has over 100,000 followers with more than 785 shows covering the newest and rarest in house, rap, electronica, and much more.
Curation rather than production remains Lefto’s focus. In 2003, Dour Festival pulled him in to begin curating a stage, which he continues to do each year, and he also began throwing smaller hip-hop concerts in Ghent, drawing people from Brussels and Antwerp. Today, he curates his own nights across Belgium, Holland, and France, booking the likes of Gilles Peterson, who kindly reciprocated by signing Lefto up as a resident of his Worldwide Festival, held in the town of Sete in the south of France every July.
Lefto now also presents a weekly two-hour morning show on Peterson’s Worldwide FM, dedicated to hip-hop, jazz, and all things that prick his ear. His expertise has also seen him called upon for several compilations on notable labels, including Brownswood Recordings and Universal Belgium. In September last year, he compiled some of Belgium’s best jazz musicians’ music on a 2LP entitled Jazz Cats on Sdban Records.
As a DJ, Lefto is known for his gloriously eclectic sets; expect the unexpected as he switches effortlessly between genres. His XLR8R podcast is a blend of classics and more recent records, many unreleased and previously unheard. It’s fun, driving, and wonderfully unpredictable; even if you know some of the tracks, you’ll discover a handful of others. Download it now via the WeTransfer button below.
What have you been up to recently?
These last two months have been an exhausting run of gigs and festivals around Europe, and add to it that I became a father to a beautiful son, so it’s been tough. I’ve been recording my weekly show on Gilles Peterson’s WorldwideFM as well as taking a summer break from my nationwide show on radio in Brussels and my Mixcloud channel. Meanwhile, I posted a couple of mixes on my “Select” page on Mixcloud as well. I’ve been preparing the first release on my new record label Royale, which is set to start at the end of September, and I have been designing some stuff for my merchandise that I sell, via the great record shop in Brussels, at Crevette Records. As with every year, I hosted my own stage at Belgium’s Dour Festival, still one of the best festivals around in Europe with over 250,000 visitors.
How did you find your way into music?
Imagine a world where you’re surrounded by books, photography, and music magazines, vinyl, cassettes, and music playing in the background all the time; that was my home. MTV was coming up on television and I had school friends in music as well; that’s pretty much how I got into it: I was literally sucked into music culture. New beat and acid played on daytime radio and local television here in Belgium; meanwhile, rap and alternative rock played on MTV. What an incredible time it was to be alive.
When and where was this mix put together?
I recorded this mix on CDJs and turntables in my studio and in one take. I’ve never been a fan of recording and retouching my mixes and I would never record a mix with anything else than turntables and/or CDJs, just to keep the feel of a real DJ mix.
How did you select the records that you included?
I thought I’d give you some of the latest and upcoming releases I got from friends who also happen to be producers, mixed with timeless gems as well. I take you on a journey through different vibes.
Is there a wider concept or vision to it?
There is no particular concept to it, but I always try to build up nicely to end with a bang. That’s pretty much how I like to leave the stage as well!
Where do you envisage it being listened to?
I would advise people to listen to this mix on their way to a rave or just a good party you’re excited to attend. And also in the car, obviously.
What’s next, moving forward?
I am working on a few compilations right now for different international labels. Annie Pleasure just turned in his project that I will release very soon on my label Royale; he’s an emerging local artist, and it’s great electronica. I’m sure you’ll love some of it. I am also touring Asia in the coming weeks, and in October I will be touring the US, starting in New York City on October 19 at Public Records. I am also celebrating the 20th anniversary of my radio show on Studio Brussels this year with a great Sunday evening gig, inviting some of my favorite local artists as well as Children of Zeus from Manchester. They do great soulful hip-hop music. I’m looking forward to all of this.
XLR8R has now joined Mixcloud Select, meaning that to download the podcast you will need to subscribe to our Select channel. The move to Mixcloud Select will ensure that all the producers with music featured in our mixes get paid. You can read more about it here.
Tracklisting
01. Salami Rose Joe Louis “Octagonal Room” (Brainfeeder) 02. K15 & Patrick Gibin “Devotion” (Eglo Records)—Upcoming 03. Jesuslovesacid “Philosophy” (Appleblim Remix) (Vitalik Recordings) 04. Claudio Simonetti “I love the piano” (Victoria) 05. Don Blackman & the Family Tradition “Just can’t stay away” (Melodies Int.) 06. Electro Force “Inside The Beats” (Power Music records) 07. Black Spuma “Black Spuma” (International Feel Recs) 08. Thatmanmonkz “Whatuthinkido” (Shadeleaf Music)—Upcoming 09. Kolja Gerstenberg “Where they’re from” (Lumberjacks In Hell)—Upcoming 10. LB aka Labat “1993” (Alelah Records) 11. Paranoid London “Drum Machine” (Paranoid London) 12. Model 500 “No UFO’s” (Metroplex) 13. Logic1000 “Derrière” (White) 14. Four Tet “Anna Painting” (Text) 15. Soundbwoy Killah “Wanna hold u” (Sneaker Social Club) 16. Kettama “Ludwig” (G-Town) 17. Textasy “I’m the needle” (Craigie Knowes) 18. Addison Groove “Brand New Drop” (Gutterfunk)—Upcoming
XLR8R+ will present a special night with Onur Özer, Quest, and Sugar Free, at Fold in London next month.
Turkish techno-wizard Onur Özer’s intergalactic beats seem made for the Fold soundsystem, which is known for its quality. He’ll be backed up by Quest who has been tearing it up all over the world with his groove-laden selections. Plus, Spain’s Sugar Free, an up-and-coming DJ-producer now based in Berlin.
This is a FREE event to celebrate our member supported community, XLR8R+, via Bandcamp. You MUST be an XLR8R+ member to attend this party. If you are not a member, become one HERE for only $5 (£4.15) per month.
If you’re already using Bandcamp, hit subscribe and it will only be a few clicks. If you’re new to Bandcamp, hit subscribe, follow the instructions, confirm your email, and confirm the subscription on Bandcamp when directed back to the page (you will not be double charged).
Once you’re a member, email [email protected] with your name and “XLR8R London” as the subject. We’ll add you to the guest list and confirm your addition.
For any questions, email the above email address.
XLR8R+ is a member-supported community and movement to allow XLR8R to continue to support independent music and journalism. Each month, premium members receive three exclusive tracks from three different artists, a dedicated artwork and PDF zine, exclusive content, private streaming playlists, free festival and event passes, and other valued goods such as sample packs and discounts.
What you’ll get once you sign up:
– The back catalog as high-quality downloads with tracks from Roman Flugel, SIT, John Dimas, Silverlining and much more, zine, sample packs, event and festival passes plus each artwork we’ve released for each edition. – Unlimited streaming of the back catalog via Bandcamp’s mobile app. You can also stream any track that you purchase from Bandcamp via the app. – Free event passes and discounts. – Exclusive access to the XLR8R+ member community—here we will post updates, exclusive mixes, content, and more. – Every XLR8R+ edition moving forward.
THANK YOU for being a member of XLR8R+ and supporting independent culture.
Nyege Nyege Tapes will release a new 15-track compilation exploring the birth of electronic acholi dance music in Northern Uganda later this week.
The electronic re-interpretation of traditional acholi songs began in Northern Uganda, primarily in the cities of Gulu and Lira, around 2003, when Northern Uganda was still mired in a brutal civil war at huge human cost to the civilian population.
Acholi was traditionally performed at weddings, but young producers began replacing the much larger traditional Larakaraka bands that, under war time conditions, had become too costly for many newly weds to afford (troupes could consist up to 25 members). These young producers formed recording studios that offered all-inclusive packages where they would write a song for a newly-wedded couple and then film the wedding and also perform the commissioned song at the ceremony.
The sound these producers first made on their computers followed closely the traditional variants that were performed with a range of percussion, calabashes, ankle bells, and call-and-response vocals, but the tempos we sped up with pounding drum machine poly-rhythms.
The sound quickly spread into the local nightclubs around Gulu like the Alobo Night Club and the Opit Travelers inn. To this day, electro acholi provides the soundtrack to these cities’ nightlife at clubs such as Pier 2 and Signature.
This compilation compiles 15 tracks from the scene’s heyday between 2003- 2008, all recorded in various studios in those two cities. It brings together for the first time 15 hard-to-find classics of the genre featuring some of the most renowned vocalists at the time, including Bosmic Otim, Jeff Kornodo, Tabu Busy Body, Zing Zang, and City Boy and Otim Alpha.
Ice Bridge / Bruxis is the London-based New Zealander’s second outing of the year, following Falling Not Walking on his own DECISIONS label, where he released Nacre, his album debut, last year. It’s said to see him refine his sound “with an emphasis on functionality and groove. ” The label describes the record as “rude, tough, and different.”
The two-track EP is Timedance’s 19th release.
Tracklisting
01. Ice Bridge 02. Bruxis
Ice Bridge / Bruxis EP is out September 27, with “Ice Bridge” streaming below, and pre-order HERE.
The Chicago-based musician has composed panoramas of synthesized sound for over a decade. First within his former band, Emeralds, an American touchstone of 2000’s home-recorded psychedelic noise music, and later across a steady stream of solo releases spanning ambient techno, arpeggiated electronica, and post-kosmische styles utilizing synthesizers, computers, and digital processing. In 2018, he extended a collection of rich, visceral tracks titled Dissolvi, his first release on Ghostly International and his most collaborative work to date.
Just a year later, he now returns with Nonlin, an album that’s “freer, leaner, and looser, both structurally and conceptually,” the label explains. It’s been developed and recorded in several studios during and around the edges of tour, in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Tbilisi, and Brussels.
We’re told that the album finds Hauschildt “evolving his palette of tools,” and integrating modular and granular synthesis. The improvisatory and generative nature of modular systems, when paired with his signature grid-oriented and hand-played techniques, guides these compositions “slightly out of line to hypnotic effect,” the label adds.
Tracklisting
01. Cloudloss 02 Subtractive Skies 03 A Planet Left Behind 04 Attractor B 05 The Nature Remaining 06 Nonlin 07 Reverse Culture Music 08 The Spring in Chartreuse 09 American Spiral
Nonlin LP lands October 25.
A stream of “Subtractive Skies” will be added in later today, when shared by the label.
Ardeu is the young Lisbon artist’s first EP since his 2015 debut, Alma Do Meu Pai. It kicks off with two improvised vocal cuts, with minimal, bouncy beats. This style of delivering vocals is commonly known as “animação,” a sort of MCing, not so much to boast personal qualities or instigate people, more of a stream of consciousness thing. The free association of words and themes in both “AVAN” and “Intenso” is said to recall “a more rootsy style of kuduro.”
“RRRRRR” provides a fast, intense ride across the mutant world of techno, and suggests that Firmeza’s percussive essence, much inspired by his guru DJ Nervoso, has progressed to more intuitive ground. Closer “25” is described as a “powerful abstract statement” on which “everything bounces and the body bounces along, not sure of where it stands anymore.”
DJ Firmeza is one of the youngest members on Príncipe amongst the batida scene legends like DJ Marfox and DJ Nervoso.
Tracklisting
01. AVAN 02. Intenso 03. RRRRRR 04. 25
Ardeu is out September 13, with pre-order HERE and “Intense” streaming below.
XLR8R is offering XLR8R+ subscribers free passes to the upcoming FOLD Presents event with UVB, December, Nur Jaber, and S Ruston B2B Voicedrone, taking place at the recently opened Fold in London on Saturday, September 14.
UVB and Nur Jaber have made a big impression in electronic music circles in the UK and Berlin with consistent releases on the likes of OSF and MORD. Add to that a B2B from S Ruston and Voicedrone, which is bound to include anything from rave to jungle to EBM. Completing the bill is Parisian producer December, who will add a darker take on proceedings throughout the night.
We’ve partnered with FOLD to offer XLR8R+ subscribers a select amount of free guestlist passes.
For those who haven’t yet, SUBSCRIBE HERE and email your full name, subscription confirmation page screenshot, and “Fold” to [email protected] to claim your free event pass.
For those current subscribers, simply email your full name and “Fold” as the email subject.
The 14th edition of XLR8R+ is here, with exclusive tracks and content from Minimal Violence, LSDXOXO, Ojalá Systems, and Collin Fletcher and Lauren N. Bailey.
FKA Twigs (real name Tahliah Debrett Barnett) will release her second album, Magdalene,in October via Young Turks.
Created in a period where the UK artist’s confidence was knocked following heartbreak and laparoscopic surgery, Magdalene is the sound of FKA Twigs “reconfiguring, emotionally, and physically,” the label explains. It was recorded between London, New York, and Los Angeles over the last three years and, as previously reported, features major contributions from Nicolas Jaar alongside a host of other collaborators. Included on the album is “Mary Magdalene,” with which FKA Twigs opened her sold-out live shows earlier in the year.
Coinciding with the news, FKA Twigs has shared “Holy Terrain,” featuring Atlanta’s Future alongside production from FKA Twigs, Skrillex, and Jack Antonoff. It’s the second track to be lifted from the album, following lead track “Cellophane,” which is streaming below. You can stream “Holy Terrain” HERE.
Magdalene will be available on CD, digitally, and on two vinyl formats, including a limited edition, red-vinyl version. It is available to pre-order now HERE. The album features artwork from long-time FKA twigs collaborator Matthew Stone.
FKA Twigs’ album debut, LP1, came in 2014, also via Young Turks.
Tracklisting
01. Thousand Eyes 02. Home With You 03. Sad Day 04. Holy Terrain 05. Mary Magdalene 06. Fallen Alien 07. Mirrored Heart 08. Daybed 09. Cellophane
Following the success of Babe Roots & Another Channel’s Takeover EP last year, Denmark label Echocord has revisited the package with reworks from Forest Drive West, Mike Schommer, Felix K, DB1, and Babe Roots themselves.
London’s DB1 leads the package with his take on “Work Hard,” a mostly beatless interpretation fuelled by oscillating white noise, winding dub chord,s and snippets of the original’s dub reggae vocals. Hidden Hawaii’s Felix K then ups the energy levels with a high-octane take on “Sufferation Time,” driven by upfront, shuffled, and distorted drums and unfaltering, tension building dub swells.
Forest Drive West then turns in a typically classy remix of “Jah Nuh Dead,” stripping things back to ethereal pads, off-kilter percussion, and sporadic echoes of the original composition. Former Deepchord member Mike Schommer’s take on “Bless Me” follows, before Babe Roots revisit “Sufferation Time,” delivering a more refined feel this time round with more impetus on drums and dark, hypnotic synths.
In support of the EP, out now, we’re streaming the Forest Drive West remix in full via the player below.
Tracklisting
01. Work Hard (DB1 Remix) 02. Sufferation Time (Felix K Reinterpretation) 03. Jah Nuh Dead (Forest Drive West Remix) 04. Bless Me (Mike Schommer Remix) 05. Sufferation Time (Babe Roots Remix)
