Both Gerry Read and Kevin McPhee are young, house-minded producers that caught our attention in 2011, and now the pair has come together on a limited-edition, collaborative single. The one-sided 12″, entitled “Demolition Man” (supposedly, that’s the artwork above), doesn’t have an exact release date, but is being put out on the RAMP label. Apparently, only 100 copies are being made, and on pink vinyl no less. The record can be ordered here, and the song is streaming in its (slightly raunchy) entirety below.
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Evoking a mix of Four Tet’s jazzy inclinations and Mogwai’s pensive drone, “To Feel the Night As It Really Is” is a cut from the Crossing the Path, By Torch Light LP by American artist Ensemble Economique (a.k.a. Brian Pyle). Pyle layers on melancholic organ melodies, shuddering electronics, and refried white noise over his rolling drum loop to make for a hypnotic and engrossing track. You can watch a video for the song after the jump, and grab the rest of Ensemble Economique’s album here.
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Los Angeles songstress Ramona Gonzales (a.k.a. Nite Jewel, pictured above) has announced a new album to be released via Secretly Canadian, titled One Second of Love. The album, due out on March 6 of next year, is her first full-length since her 2008 debut, Good Evening. Listen to the title track from the forthcoming album and check out the tracklisting and artwork after the jump.
1) This Story 2) One Second of Love
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3) She’s Always Watching You 4) Mind & Eyes 5) In The Dark 6) Memory, Man 7) Unearthly Delights 8) No I Don’t 9) Autograph 10) Clive
This particular MP3 has us thinking there must be some scientific explanation as to why arpeggios are so alluring, right? And although we couldn’t say whether or not Scottish producer Taz Buckfaster (or simply just Taz) knows the exact science behind an arpeggiator’s appeal, “She Makes Me” has left us pretty confident that the man knows a good pattern when he hears it. Manipulating and transforming one of those vibrant, descending patterns throughout the course of the tune, Buckfaster enlists a huge, growling bassline and drum line-reminscent kicks, snares, and whistles to supply the dancefloor heat. Although this particular track will not be featured on his forthcoming EP for the Rwina imprint, Neurotica (artwork above), we’ll be interested to hear what else the up-and-coming producer has in store when his latest outing drops on December 12.
Those crazy car manufacturers over at Scion A/V are at it again, releasing free collections of music to the anxiously awaiting masses. Their latest digital offering: a five-track EP from UK dubstep figureheads and Magnetic Man co-conspirators Skream and Benga. You can download the aptly titled Scion A/V Presents: Skream and Benga EP, which features three tunes from Skream and two from Benga (no collaborations here, sorry), from the widget below.
Now that we’ve officially entered the final month of the year, the inevitability of certain holiday events is closer than ever. And no matter whether you dread or look forward to the ensuing December festivities, there is one thing we can all agree is beyond awesome this time of year: Rinse FM‘s and FWD>>>‘s Boxing Day celebration, which gathers every Rinse DJ and puts them on display in London’s legendary Fabric nightclub. One such DJ is Funk Butcher, who—along with the likes of Brackles, Skream, Oneman, Scratcha, and more—will be dropping a number of quality tunes like this one on December 26. “Techno Babble” exists a little more on the techy side of Funk Butcher’s usual style (especially the almost two-minute breakdown in the middle), but it still has more than enough bouncing UK vibes to stay true to his moniker. For the full list of DJs set to perform at the Boxing Day celebration and all the essential details, head here.
The Los Angeles-based company Eskuché—who are, we should say, first and foremost manufacturers of high-end headphones—have been dabbling in the art of music-inspired short films for some time now and, more importantly, its most recent visual project features a brand-new cut from Throne of Blood associates Populette. The New York duo offered up a seductive slice of space-age disco in “Lasers Are Forever,” the title track of a recently released EP that appropriately serves here as the theme for the short film’s opening dance number, which in turn features a choreographed assembly of helmeted female dancers grooving in unison. After downloading Populette’s bouncing cut of sparkling disco house below, you can peep the aforementioned short film which, among other things, features some abstract symbolism, retro-futurism, plenty of references to classic cult flick THX1138, and (warning for those of you at work) a briefly topless protagonist after the jump.
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Calling it a “film,” NY-based fashion bloggers-cum-video directors Street Etiquette delivered this piece for the Gold Panda-produced “Light to Dark” tune by Jesse Boykins III. The music video’s story is described as “a wayfarer on his journey to find his true self,” the visuals for which were shot throughout NYC and are accompanied by the beat-driven electronic pop sounds. Boykins III recently completed a stint as a participant at this year’s Red Bull Music Academy in Madrid, so after you’ve watched the footage above, take a listen to more of his music below.
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With 2011 quickly drawing to a close, the onslaught of “Best Of” lists is already well underway (don’t worry, XLR8R‘s contributions will begin popping up next week), and although it’s unlikely that Om Unit (a.k.a. Jim Coles) is going to be pulling down a ton of accolades, that has less to do with the quality of his output, and more to do with the fact that the London producer has kept a relatively low profile while having himself a very solid year. Fresh off his turn as a participant at this year’s Red Bull Music Academy in Madrid, the man just dropped the Transport EP, his second release of the year for the Civil Music imprint. Apart from making beats, he also pilots his own label, Cosmic Bridge Records, and has recently remixed the likes of Starkey, Shigeto, Take, Pixelord, and many others. As such, Om Unit seemed like the perfect candidate to put together the final XLR8R podcast of 2011, an opportunity he used to showcase his unique take on some sounds that have become very familiar as of late. Last week’s podcast from Africa Hitech found the UK duo combining footwork and jungle, and Om Unit spends much of this exclusive mix engaging in similar genre-blending trickery. But where Africa Hitech offered harsh, rough-and-tumble sounds, Om Unit goes heavy on the melody, serving up a much dreamier listen, an effect heightened by his extended detours into slower tempos. At this point, it’s hard to put an original spin on the myriad of sounds championed by the world of so-called “bass music,” but on this podcast, Om Unit has managed to do exactly that.
01 Moresounds “Weeda” 02 Salva “Komodo” (Friends of Friends) 03 Krampfhaft “I Need You” (Rwina) 04 Om Unit “Vibrations (Machinedrum Remix)” (Civil) 05 Adam F “Circles (Phillip D Kick Footwork Jungle Edit)” 06 Danny Breaks “Droppin’ Science Vol.1 (Phillip D Kick Footwork Jungle Edit)” 07 Chesslo Junior “Alpine Riddim” 08 DJ Rashad “Welcome to the Chi” 09 Ital Tek “Pixel Haze” (Planet Mu) 10 EAN “AulderKincher” 11 Om Unit “Swimming Dragon” (Civil Music) 12 Kuedo “Scissors” (Planet Mu) 13 Delilah “Go” (Warner) 14 Raadsel & Luisterwaar “Tissue Box” (Saturate) 15 Onra “Fight or Die” (All City) 16 Silent Dust “The Giant (Om Unit Remix)” 17 Kromestar “Don’t Make Sense VIP” (Cosmic Bridge) 18 Kinzy “Tree Tops” 19 Om Unit “An Eternal Way” (Civil) 20 Calibre “No More” (Signature) 21 Joe Syntax “Signal Drop” (Hospital) 22 IIX “Eclipse” (Drumpanic) 23 Jay 5ive and Kromestar “Wishful Thinking (Om Unit Remix)” 24 Daedelus “Vous Ites Stereo (Om Unit Remix)” (All City)
Will Saul’s and Fin Greenall’s UK imprint Aus dropped its latest release yesterday, a 12″ EP by Berlin producer Lee Jones that boasts a handful of original tunes alongside remixes from George FitzGerald and Midland. “Moment (Alt Mix)” is one of four tracks exclusive to the digital release of The Moose Mingles EP, and exhibits the kind of thumping techno that’s paired with just the right amount of skewed soul and lush synth work throughout Jones’ new record.
