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In advance of experimental R&B duo Evy Jane‘s forthcoming self-titled 12″, the pair has released this video for the record’s featured track, “Sayso.” The video, crafted by director Jason C. Meyers, matches the somber, low-end-heavy track well, showing Vancouver-based duo Evelyn Mason and Jeremiah Klein at an isolated cabin during the winter. While the tune does go heavy on the vocals, Mason’s voice is solid and, more importantly, the track’s sharp, icy production is simply too good to ignore. Evy Jane is set for vinyl release on February 20 through King Deluxe, and can be streamed in its entirety below.
Over the past two years, Montreal producer Jacques Greene has quietly amassed an impressive little catalog, twisting the spirit of R&B into something functional for dancefloors fueled by classic house and forward-thinking bass. With only a few releases under his belt, he has become one of North America’s most lauded producers, a feat assisted in no small part by his jaw-dropping, analog-gear-intensive live shows. Once the calendar reached 2012, Greene announced the next step in his ongoing evolution, the founding of his own label, Vase. Last week, the young imprint dropped its first record, Concealer, a four-track EP from Greene himself. On the heels of its release, we tapped the busy artist to list five tracks that have helped to shape both his current musical outlook and his new label’s philosophy.
Rhythm is Rhythm “Drama”
You can’t really say much about Derrick May: pioneer, legend, “The Innovator.” This record embodies a lot of the reasons I fell in love with dancefloors and electronic dance music. Though this record doesn’t necessarily sound “current,” it is definitely timeless, and that’s something to strive for—[making] something that is undoubtedly both of its time and enjoyable right now, 22 years later.
Jimmy Edgar “Pret-a-Porter”
Jimmy Edgar manages to make music that’s simultaneously sexy and endearing, but [also] kind of creepy and uncomfortable in the best way. It’s this sleazy-yet-sophisticated thing that he does, blurring lines all over the place between pop and “IDM,” light and dark, seduction and predator vibes. [This track has] fantastic arrangements and a great sense of melody.
Ben Frost “Theory of Machines”
Good music to get lost in. Again, this [song coveys the] idea of things being simultaneously one and [another]. Ben Frost makes music that’s menacing and aggressive, but it always feels like it’s about to fall apart. He makes music that sticks with you and deserves careful listens, and he’s also one of the best performers in “drone,” or whatever you want to call it.
Joy Division “Disorder”
Factory Records had a catalog number for the club they ran (the Haçienda, FAC 51) and for a lawsuit that was filed against them by Martin Hannett (FAC 61). They didn’t really seem to care about rules and what is expected of a record company, however, a lot of care was taken with the presentation of its output. Peter Saville and the others at Factory are a huge influence on the approach to making this Vase thing happen and where you can take the idea of a “record label.”
Kraftwerk “Computer Love”
Another timeless gem. [This is] music good enough to transcend genres, decades, etc. [It’s full of] simplicity, beauty… I could go on forever. There are a lot of “big tracks” and classics on this list, but I guess that’s what you’re trying to strive for when releasing music, whether it be your own or that of others.
This dreamy slice of laid-back instrumental pop comes via LA-based visual and recording artist Cliff Dweller (a.k.a. Ari Balouzian), who has released the tune on his new Perch Verdad EP (artwork above). Like the rest of the short EP, the piano-based song is made up largely of recorded bits of actual instruments, including bass guitar, plucked and bowed violin, and woodwinds, along with some vocalized percussion. On his remix, Baltimore’s Ricky Eat Acid leaves the tune’s ethereal feel intact, stripping down some elements while adding counter-melodious pings and a crisper beat. Rebel is offering the entire EP for free download here.
Lapalux has a way of fitting an astounding number of elements into his productions. It’s something he proved on 2011’s Many Faces Out of Focus EP, and in the subsequent remixes that have populated his Soundcloud page and, incidentally, our own downloads section. When You’re Gone, the Essex-based producer’s debut EP for Brainfeeder, sees Lapalux only continuing to refine his techniques, molding and shaping his seemingly neverending array of ticks, chops, and blurps into even more concise packages as his compositions become more song-like in structure.
From the onset of When You’re Gone, Lapalux immediately dips the listener into a sea of textures—rainfall, a far-off conversation, bells, strings, and massive, swelling electric piano chords begin the effort on “102 Hours of Introduction.” It’s an apt primer for the world he’s about to open, one where beat-centric productions share the same space as hyper-detailed snippets that have been cut, spliced, and compressed into every conceivable corner. Tracks like “Moments,” which features an inviting (albeit thoroughly manipulated) vocal performance from Py, take shape as true songs around the fury of smaller sounds, landing at distinct sections and movements. It’s not a verse-chorus-bridge type of formula, but there are plenty of markers that stick in your memory, such as Py’s sultry “I remember” vocal refrain or the funky, vocoded melodies on “Yellow 90’s.”
The tracks here rarely venture outside of a half-time feel, revolving around the 110-120 BPM tempo range, with the beefier elements—chords, bass, and drums—acting colossal in presence but always remaining slow-moving, which leaves gaping spaces for everything else to fill. Before, Lapalux productions may have filled these spaces with mostly percussive elements such as tuned toms, stick hits, and off-kilter hats, but this EP throws much more vocal manipulation on top of the textural percussion. For instance, the effort’s lead single, “Gutter Glitter,” reaches an almost James Blake-like soulfulness within its heavy-handed production, as Lapalux warps and hangs raspy, R&B-indebted vocal runs around the steady beat.
From a production standpoint, When You’re Gone is a simply stunning effort, one that is continually intriguing and constantly surprising. Beat-minded programming nerds and aspiring producers should take note—this is how you balance crafting impeccably intricate tracks with making poignant music. Truthfully, there are a few lulls to be found—”Gone” and “Construction Deconstruction” pale in comparison to their better-executed counterparts—but the EP’s remaining pieces overshadow these two instances thanks to their meticulously built and unceasingly warm production, which remains worthwhile for listen after listen.
Mysterious Berlin-based techno producer Redshape is set to drop a new 12″ through Martyn’s 3024 imprint. “Throw in Dirt” b/w “The Land” will find the masked man drawing from the analog sounds of early Detroit to create two dark and otherworldy techno tracks with plenty of Motor City groove. The record is set for a February 20 release, but the artwork is available for perusal, below.
This purple piece of bass from UK producer DS1 deploys a volley of synth licks over skittering hi-hats and plodding bass chords. “Red Rain” appears on DS1’s recent Emotions, Colours, and Spacefood EP, out now on Slit Jockey, which contains two other originals and four remixes, including a Starkey remix of this track. The artwork for the release is above, and the tracklisting can be found after the jump.
1. Lost Memories 2. Red Rain 3. Freeze Dried 4. Red Rain (Starkey Remix) 5. Lost Memories (Bobby Tank Remix) 6. Lost Memories (King Remix) 7. Freeze Dried (El Carnicero Remix)
Fresh off his appearance at last year’s Red Bull Music Academy, Manchester-based DJ/producer Krystal Klear is set to release a a two-song 12″ for All City, his second release for the Dublin imprint. The record, titled “We’re Wrong” b/w “From the Start” (artwork above), comes out digitally and on vinyl on February 20, and the UK artist delving into an upbeat, classic French-house style.
Dirtybird label honcho Claude VonStroke has announced the imminent arrival of his new 12″ for the imprint, a single he produced with dOP vocalist Jaw. “La Fantome,” which drops on March 1, is VonStroke’s very first vocal track, and is described in the press materials as “a trippy slab of modern funk.” Take a look at the artwork for the pair’s new single before it’s available, below.
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We’re still a month from the release of Scuba‘s highly anticipated Personality LP, but bits and pieces of Paul Rose’s production work continue to trickle in, the latest of which is this video for his bombastic new single, “The Hope.” Directors Amy Rose and Kat Brendel tapped a load of found footage for this piece, pairing it with a bit of choreographed interpretive dance that seems to loosely correlate with the track’s lyrical content.
LA beat hub Stones Throw has teamed up with Bubblin’ producer Jonwayne to reissue his 2010 beat tape, Doodles. Adding a disc of extra material and calling it Oodles of Doodles (artwork above), the SoCal beatmaker will deliver his 48-track (!) offering later this month, but precedes its release with the blippy cut “Electricity,” which you can stream below.
